Tag: ASSOCHAM CSR Council

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ARTHRITIS TODAY IS AS TREATABLE AS DIABETES: EXPERTS AT ASSOCHAM’S ILLNESS TO WELLNESS SERIES

Dec 28, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #ASSOCHAM CSR Council, #Chairperson, #Chief Foot & Ankle Services, #Director & Head of Department, #Dr. (Lt. General) (Prof.) Ved Chaturvedi, #Dr. Maninder Shah Singh, #Dr. P. D. Rath, #Dr. Rajesh Kesari, #Founder and Director, #Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, #Max Super Speciality Hospital, #New Delhi, #Rheumatology, #Saket Smart, #Senior Consultant, #Shri Anil Rajput, #Sir Gangaram Hospital, #Total Care Control

New Delhi: The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India concluded the fourteenth edition of the ‘Illness to Wellness’ series themed ‘Preventive and Curative Measures for Bones and Joint Pains During Winter & COVID–19’. The event saw an expert panel of rheumatologists invited to hold an informative dialogue on challenges faced by patients suffering from pain in bones and joints, finding the right exercises and activities to elevate their pain and the importance of reaching out for treatment.

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme which promotes healthy living with focus on wellness and preventive health through healthy habits, diet, exercise, and holistic health saw the speakers actively engage on the importance of right medication and treatment to control and prevent pain for arthritic patients.

Speaking on how arthritis may not have a cure just like diabetes or hypertension, Dr. P. D. Rath, Director & Head of Department, Rheumatology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket Smart, New Delhi emphasised how science has now ensured that arthritis is treatable. “When we suffer from an autoimmune disease, it is important that we don’t run away from it. We should face it and treat it. Today, with the kind of treatment we have, arthritis is as treatable as blood pressure, thyroid or diabetes. In our country, we have drugs that are at comparably cheaper and effective. So, patients should be confident enough to pursue treatment,” he said. Calling arthritis, a multifactorial disease, he listed some of the common factors behind arthritis like genetics, stress, infections and others.  He also added, “Don’t manage arthritis on your own with pain killers. They can only provide temporary relief, but they will not address the underlying disease. In cases of dangerous arthritis this can be life threatening.”

Highlighting the wide prevalence of joint-related diseases in adults and not just seniors, Shri Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM CSR Council said, “It is a well-known fact that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body and certain medical conditions like diabetes, obesity and hypertension need to be well controlled to have better immunity against all types of infections. Bones and joint pains are no longer a disorder that affects only elders, rather, these health conditions have trickled down to adults as a result of lifestyle choices. Acute or chronic trauma, degenerative changes and the wear and tear of joints and joint structures over the time are the common causes of major bone injuries and health conditions. To prevent this, a healthy ecosystem and environment is a prerequisite. Taking multivitamins and other healthy foods is important, however, not enough to boost immunity alone. Experts are stressing on the need to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing regular exercises and taking brisk walks.”

Taking the discussion further, Dr. (Lt. General) (Prof.) Ved Chaturvedi, Senior Consultant, Rheumatology, Sir Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi, spoke of the importance of ensuring right dietary supplements to prevent bones and joint-related diseases. “Calcium and Vitamin D are two of the most recommended supplements by doctors and specialists. In women, calcium supplement post 45 years of age, during menopause is crucial. You roughly require 1-1.5 gm of Calcium daily. Growing children too need it. Vitamin D has also emerged as one of the most recommended supplements because it can help immune systems, nerves, muscles,” he said.

The experts further agreed that patients should focus on increasing dietary intake of required supplements as opposed to taking them in the form of pills unless suggested by doctors. Tablets should only be used for those for whom dietary intake may be difficult due to allergies and other reasons. For calcium, the most recommended form was in milk, curd and cheese. Omega 3 found in fish and flax seeds was another was recommended as a must have element in daily diet due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Commenting on the best course of action to eliminate joint pains during winters, Dr. Maninder Shah Singh, Senior Consultant, Chief Foot & Ankle Services, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi said, “The most effective way to reduce joint pain during winter is keeping active through brisk walks and exercises such as running and cycling. Those who are elderly and have pre-existing joint problems may opt for simple stretches to avoid stiffness in joints. Yoga and warm baths are particularly effective. Keeping your body warm is also very important, especially around joints using gloves, scarves, thermals and warm boots. Spending just 30 minutes or 2% of a day exercising can go a long way in keeping our body healthy as we all have only one body for our entire life.”

Dr. Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director, Total Care Control acted as the moderator of the event and raised pertinent questions before the panellists to guide the discussion into a strong knowledge-sharing webinar. His smart manoeuvring of the discussions helped reap health foresights from the veteran rheumatologists.

Health

Penetration Of Mobile Phones Higher Than Glasses In India, Only 50% Of Population Who Needs It Actually Wear Them – Says Experts at Assocham’s ‘Illness to Wellness’ Series

Oct 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Anil Rajput, #ASSOCHAM CSR Council, #Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, #Dr GV Divakar, #Dr Rajashekar YL, #Dr Saurabh Choudhry

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India concluded the ninth edition of the ‘Illness to Wellness’ series themed webinar on ‘Eye Health Care and Online Practices During COVID-19’. The event saw an elite panel of leading ophthalmologists, hold an active dialogue on eye care during COVID-19 and best practices for eye health during long hours of screen time.

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme, an innovative and comprehensive approach to cascade awareness through wellness campaigns to address preventive healthcare management and to promote health, hygiene, and well-being of people, the webinar saw renowned panellists speak at length on how India has taken great strides in raising awareness about eye care health across the country through eye-checkup camps over the years and have been able to educate the population about curable eye conditions such as cataract, refractive surgery, diabetes retinography and others, however, the country still has a long way to go.

Highlighting on the issue, Padma Shri Prof (Dr) Mahipal Singh Sachdev, Chairman & Medical Director, Centre for Sight and President of All India Ophthalmological Society said, “If we look at the penetration of mobile phone, it is over a billion which means almost everyone in the country owns a mobile phone. However, around 25%-35% of the population needs simple glasses for vision and only about 50% of them actually wear.

This is a disconnect created due to lack of awareness. It should be well established that after a child is born after it is one year old and for every year it is in school, it should undergo eye checkups and wear glasses if needed. If you need glasses for refractive error correction and do not wear it then it can affect your performance in school and college. Awareness needs to be increased as it is only in India that the largest cause of blindness is cataract, a completely reversible disease.”

Shedding light on India’s advancement in ophthalmology, he further added that India currently conducts more cataract operations than US, Europe and China combined, and they do so at a fraction of the cost charged globally. This advancement is also leading to a reverse brain drain where doctors are coming to India to train in ophthalmology.

Padma Shri Dr. RV Ramani, Founder and Managing Trustee of Sankara Eye Foundation adding to the discussion said, “The awareness has picked up in comparison to what it was 20-30 years back especially in rural India. We had to go and convince them that they are in safe hands and that it is a safe procedure and also speak of diseases that are curable. Though urban people had awareness they were not aware of specific conditions like glaucoma and diabetes retinopathy. People need to know that these conditions when checked early and treated appropriately can be effectively resolved.”

He further cautioned that COVID-19 should not be a reason for patients to postpone their checkups and eye surgeries as eye hospitals are taking all precautions to keep patients and caregivers safe. He emphasized that patients should not delay checkups for glass correction, routine glaucoma checkup, cataract, and others in fear of entering hospitals as it can adversely affect their conditions.

Commenting on the phenomenon of increased screen time, Dr Saurabh Choudhry, CEO & HOD, ICARE Eye Hospital & PG Institute, explained how Computer Vision Syndrome impacts those working before screens for long hours said, “Computer Vision Syndrome is a new type of disease that has started to take shape as more and more people started working in front of computers and felt symptoms like redness, irritation, difficulty in focusing and others.

For professionals, we suggest that you take a break every 20 minutes for about 20 seconds and look at something 20 feet away. This will relax the muscles and then they can start working again. You can also opt for automated methods where the screen goes dark every 20 minutes and you are forced to take a little break. This will enhance blood circulation to the eyes, neck and back so everything is taken care of by following the 20-20-20 rule. Other factors like the lighting of the room, the position of the body, quality of the computer screen and others also need to be taken care of.”

Dr GV Divakar, Managing Director, Divakars Speciality Hospital and Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer, elaborating on how the increase of screen time during the pandemic is occurring in both children and adults due to online classes and work from home respectively, said, “Prolonged exposure to screens can lead to developing symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome where the patient gets headaches, redness etc.

When you look at the screen for too long, the blinking rate reduces and can lead to symptoms of dry eyes. To avoid that, we should reduce the duration of screen time, resolution of the screen and can also use supplements like eye drops.”

He also added that use of online devices such as phones and laptops have significantly gone up during the pandemic by almost 75% but this needs to be controlled as normal screen time should be maximum 30-35 minutes at a stretch. It is advisable that teachers take classes for 30-35 minutes and then give a gap of 15 minutes before resuming classes.

Anil Rajput, Chairman, ASSOCHAM CSR Council added to the discussion by speaking on best practices to keep our eyes protected said, “It is extremely important that we avoid touching the mucous membrane of our mouth, nose and eyes as any contamination on the surface of any object can easily pass on the virus through this mode. It has also been suggested that glasses provide a shield by protecting the eyes from any droplets that can enter through the eye.”

Dr Rajashekar YL, Founder Director, Shekar Eye Hospital who moderated the webinar by placing pertinent questions before the panellists and ensuring a fertile discussion said, “During COVID-19 many people have had the wrath of neglecting non-COVID diseases so we saw a lot of patients getting into eye-related problems because of the neglect. Nobody should lose vision because of the fear of going into a hospital or due to lack of awareness.”