Circumcision: Snipped in the bud
IN 1999 the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) declared that although circumcision carries some health benefits, these do not outweigh the risks of giving a newborn lad the snip. Since then the...
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India and endosulfan: A bitter harvest
India’s response to the ill-effects of a toxic pesticide has been slow and inadequate Endosulfan, a pesticide, has been poisoning villagers in India over the past two decades. Its use has caused...
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Chest X-rays are not effective at detecting TB infections
Enlarged microscopic image of TB-causing bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis When I immigrated to the UK as a student, I had to do something that I wasn’t expecting. I had to carry with me a recent...
View ArticleMalaria vaccine
Several vaccines for malaria have been developed over the past few decades, but none offer complete protection. Now, for the first time, US researchers have developed a vaccine that protects 100% of...
View Article21 health lessons from Trust Me, I’m a Doctor
The BBC ran an excellent series of three episodes called Trust Me, I’m a Doctor. You can dig into their conclusions here. Here are the take away lessons from it: 1. Body Mass Index or body fat count...
View ArticleThese 5 habits will help you avoid dementia and other diseases
1. Exercise regularly (few times a week) 2. Don’t smoke 3. Consume alcohol moderately (about 3 units/day or 1 drink) 4. Eat a healthy diet 5. Maintain body weight (depends on your height) While...
View Article22 health lessons from “Trust me, I’m a Doctor”
The BBC ran an excellent second series of three episodes of “Trust Me, I’m a Doctor”. You can dig into all their conclusions here. Here are the take away lessons from it: 1. Moderate amount of exercise...
View ArticleIndia faces the unique challenge of dealing with both obesity and malnutrition
One Indian in every five is obese, according to a 2013 study in the renowned journal The Lancet. Most of these people live in cities, where rapidly changing lifestyle is contributing to an “obesity...
View ArticleThe British seem to get less cancer but also survive less than Americans. Why?
In the UK, more than 330,000 cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2011. That compares favorably with the rate of cancer in the US—396 per 100,000 people in the UK vs. 451 per 100,000 in the US. But even...
View ArticleIt’s becoming increasingly hard for American women to get abortions
A bill introduced in Republican-controlled Wisconsin to ban abortions 20 weeks after conception is likely to become law in the next few weeks. That would make it the 38th new law across 11 US states...
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