Saturday, October 4, 2014

Running a MARATHON!



RUNNING A MARATHON


“Never accept anyone else’s definition of you;

But define yourself”






Today I ran with Pravin my son and his wife - Vodofone for the cause of cancer cure.

He had done all the work of registration, getting the electronic bibs, charting out the route and briefing me on the entire route.

We took a cab to venue at 4.30 am for the 6 o’clock race today. Some were running 21 Km, some 10 and many 5K.

Crowd was so massive  and enthusiastic. Families, single persons, really old people and kiddies running. 

Everyone enjoying themselves for a cause! Everyone got a medal in the end!





I met some friends including Ganesh Gopalakrishnan who taught me some yoga exercises on   posture! He is maha  yogi apart from being a world famous urologist.






My thoughts went back to the time I ran when I turned 50.

Never being an athlete in my life, I wanted to do something physical on the track . I trained on the treadmill for nearly 8 months and on the morning I put on my cap, looked down at the road and ran 20 steps at a time…. completed the marathon

Finishing the race was a big event for me; many who knew me well were quite surprised.

Running long distances gives  you confidence, builds up your determination, makes you set goal which you thought were not possible and achieve them successfully.

You meet friends, support a cause and most of all you enjoy the running and the finish.

For folks who ask why should you run a marathon, my question is simple- 

If not now, when are you going to do it? Certainly not when you are bed ridden!


Sunday, August 24, 2014

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS ! & REMAIN FRIENDS FOREVER !!


HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS !

&

REMAIN FRIENDS FOREVER !!



GOOD FRIENDS, 

GOOD BOOKS & 

A SLEEPY CONSCIENCE: 

THIS IS THE IDEAL LIFE

Mark Twain





A friend by definition is a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relationships.
There are no rules and regulations to form or maintain friendship. Only common sense!

But guidelines need to be emphasized, as most of us do not know how to go about making friends. You can see an occasional stranger making his or her way very easily in a society where as most of us do not have a clue as to who the next door neighbor is!

Also in the present days of facebook, twitter and what not, you may have thousands of virtual ’friends’ or ‘followers’. But still you maybe lonely and depressed, without any real friends.

If you are one of any of the above type of persons, then this blog may help you.

The progressive steps discussed below hopefully will benefit the lonesome!

If you are a Superstar, stop reading now and do something more useful!!




Do not sit around- ‘No man is an island’:




If you sit around in the house watching TV or playing video games all the time, you will never get any friends. You need to spend time with people. Take time to mix with a group of people. You don’t even have to say much. But if you are not going to be with them, you are not going to get friends.




Join a club:




A club is an association of people dedicated to a particular, common interest. This interest may be social service, music or even an old school. Whatever, a common interest like book reading, fan club, etc holds people together. You need to have the same binding interest to be associated.




Volunteering:





In any housing welfare association or colony of houses, topics like clean the city, tree planting, plastic free zone, paint the locality are some of the popular themes for volunteering. You can always volunteer for any of these activities. The motto in general is ‘the more the merrier’. Anyone, especially you can fit in easily into these groups and you will enjoy being of use to the community.




Sports club:






Sports is a great binder. Like a comment on cricket or golf or football shows you immediate association with enthusiasts and one can hit upon a friendship almost instantaneously. You don’t have to be a superstar. I think it helps if you are not that great at the sports. This gives you a chance to meet more people and develop a laid back attitude which is good for friendship. This group need not be entirely sports, it could be a band or orchestra.




Smile:



Making eye contact is essential before a smile and goes without saying. A smile is worth a thousand words. A smile shows you are a pleasant person welcome to a conversation. Good morning or a similar greeting can follow up with a smile shows you are ready to communicate. If  you do not smile and do not say anything, you want to be left alone.



Greeting:





We are not the race, who travel in tube trains reading newspapers and take pride in being reserved. You need to speak to the next person in the bus or train. You can always start with a non-committal ‘hi’ or ‘hello’. Unless you say something first, there is no conversation. This is because other people are also shy and reserved like you!





Initial Conversing:



Weather or road traffic can always the topic of discussion between strangers. Follow it up with a question as to how the other person feels about it . This will show you if the other person is ready to communicate and some insight if the other person opens up to you. Do NOT say anything controversial like politics or religion which may be an instant conversation killer with a stranger.




Content of Conversation:



Most important aspect of the conversation is listening. Once the other person opens up, learn to keep your part of the talking to around 25% of the entire conversation. The rest should be only listening – and that is the essence of good conversation. Stick to general, non-controversial topics. Avoid giving free, unsolicited advice.



Introduce yourself:



You can always mention that you are so and so, somewhere along the way. This will help the other person to mention his / her name. Remember the name as this means you have been listening. This will have a bearing on continuing a long friendship. Be pleasant to the other person. Good manners help.




Meeting up:




By now you will have a good working knowledge about the other person and if you want to continue this, you need to arrange for another meeting so that you can initiate a sustaining friendship. This can be as an informal coffee in a common place.



Discover identical interests:




Meeting up the person the next time, you will know the interests of the other person, like in males - sports, books or in a woman - cooking or stitching, painting, etc. There may be binding interests like church groups or music groups or book reading. It is good to discover these interests as they help to foster long associations and friendships



Knowing more about the other person:




Get to know the family of the other person and his / her friends. This is important for you to make a balanced opinion on the person. This will also help you to get more friends. It is also good for the other person to meet your family and friends so that everyone knows everyone else. This friendship should be above board and transparent.




Don’t be jealous:





An occasional phone call or a coffee or meal is okay. But do not badger them to be with you on a regular basis. Always announce your visits and do not overstay your visits. Remember good friendship is never rushed and takes a long time to grow. Do not be jealous of the friendship of your friend with others. This leads to adversity and misunderstanding.




Loyalty:




Loyalty is the faithfulness of the persona and is the basis of long lasting friendships. You will always have friends when you are young, rich and successful. But true friend is around when the chips are down, when you need a shoulder to cry on and to wipe a tear. You don’t have to give advice, just lend a shoulder.



Being a good friend:




You need to spend your part in being around and spending valuable time. When you are sick, your friend is around. When you are depressed, your friend is asking you how you feel. When you need a friend, he or she is there for you. So you should reciprocate.



Be a Rock:




Stand and be counted. You must be punctual and always show up when needed. If you cannot come, make it known to your friend. You should not say you’d be there and not show up.




Confidential matters:




There may be confidential matters between friends. Confidences should be respected. Don’t be a blabber mouth. If you are uncomfortable with what is being told to you, you can always say that it is better to withold the secret for now and discuss it later. Never be pushed by your friend in confiding things to him or her that you do not want to share. This can be dangerous.



Choice of friends:




This is most vital. You will meet many people. You will make many acquaintances. When you are successful, you will have many so-called friends. But the true friends are only a few. If you can count your real friends with the fingers of both your hands at the end of your life, you are extremely lucky. Choose wisely.




Keep in touch:




Good lasting friendships over a lifetime, take people away to different states, countries and continents. You must keep in touch. It is not difficult to do so in these days of instant communication and internet.




Negatives:





Now for the negatives, do not change yourself to fit in a group or friendship- it will not last and is not worth it. Conversely, do not try to change the other person to fit into your group or your liking. Very often dissimilar personalities hit upon a great friendship as differing points of view can be entertained. Unlike poles attract!




Don’t abandon:




When you are rich and successful, when you get new friends, do not discard and abandon your old good friends. 

Keep the news ones on –

‘Make new friends, 

but keep the old; 

one is silver & the other is gold’








Monday, March 31, 2014

ANURAG HOSPITAL NEWSLETTER, April 2014


ANURAG HOSPITAL SURGICAL NEWS , April 2014.


ANURAG HOSPITAL
8 Krishna Nagar
Sowripalayam Main Road
Coimbatore 641028
Tel:0422-6587871
Email: anuraghospitalcoimbatore@gmail.com


Dear Friends,

We are pleased to share the news that at ANURAG HOSPITAL we have completed the first year and celebrated the First Year Anniversary by a Prayer Meeting with message from Bishop of Coimbatore Diocese Rt Rev Timothy Ravinder.

Bishop Rt Rev TIMOTHY RAVINDER         INAUGURATION OF OPD ROOM











ANURAG HOSPITAL is surgical hospital with modern facilities for ambulatory surgery which is the way of doing surgery early and discharge in a short time from the hospital. This is helped by modern 2 operation theatres with laminar flow and 0.3 microns Heba filters for doing no infection surgery. We specialize in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery of Gastro intestinal tract and Obesity Surgery.


DEDICATION of NEW EQUIPMENT         DEDICATION of NEW ICU EQUIPMENT




We have completed laparoscopic surgery for gall stones, appendix, hernias, uterus removal as well as Bariatric Surgery for control of Obesity. We have had international patients as well as patients from all the corners of India like Mumbai to Mizoram. We have also carried out successfully cancer and tumor surgery of the gullet, pancreas and liver. ENT, Gynecological and Urology operations are also commonly performed.

Our charitable activities include visits to CSI Hospital, Dharapuram every Tuesday afternoon and Mission Hospital in Kerala to perform surgery. We conduct along with Rotary club of Coimbatore Texcity Free Diabetic Camp; BP camps every second Saturday where patients are examined, tested and treated free of cost.

We welcome Dr Prabavathy for physiotherapy, Dr Rajendran for orthopedic surgery and Dr
Gurumoorthy for diabetology.

Kindly continue to support us with your good wishes, prayers and referrals so that we can continue and serve with the motto ‘COMMITTED TO CARE’.

Dr Pravin Hector John MS, Dr Twinkle Sharmila MBBS,(DGO)
Dr Neena John MBBS, DCH,  Dr John Thanakumar MS, MNAMS, FRCS, FRCS, DIP MIS (Fr)
Past President OF IAGES 2012-14.



APPENDIX ABSCESS –LAPAROSCOPIC RETROGRADE APPENDECTOMY


Sites of Appendicular abscess           Divide Base 1st & then Vessels



Retrograde Appenectomy




24 year old came with umbilical pain with shift right iliac fossa sic days ago with high fever 101-102.
Ultra sound had revealed acute appendicitis. He was tender in right iliac fossa on examination.
An urgent laparoscopy revealed appendicular abscess with foul smelling pus which was walled off by
omentum, terminal ileum and caecum.. Appendix was necrotic in the distal 4/5ths and was frible. Stump of the appendix was ligated with vicryl and laparoscopic retrograde appendectomy was carried out by removing the necrotic appendix in pieces. A wash out was used. No drain was used. Patient improved with antibiotics and well healed wound.




TOTAL LAPAROSCOPIC HYSTERECTOMY



REMOVED UTERUS WITH OVARY




TOTAL LAPAROSCOPIC HYSTERECTOMY

47 year old diabetic, post cardiac stented ,obese patient with BMI of 37 presented with heavy bleeding .
She had fibroid uterus measuring 6x6cm with a history of 2 previous caesarian sections. She underwent
total laparoscopic hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo oophorectomy and was discharged in 48 hours.
Removal of uterus is commonly done for excessive bleeding , fibroids and for suspicion of cancer.
Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy is dissection of the uterus, division of the uterine vessels, vaginal vault opening using totally laparoscopic technique with resultant delivery of the uterus via the vagina and closure of the vaginal vault using intra corporeal laparoscopic suturing.

Advantages include no urinary catheter, ambulation the same day, no NG tube, less pain, more comfort
and discharge within 24 hours after surgery.

Assisted Laproscopic Hysterectomy usually is the dissection of the uterus using the laparoscope till the
uternine vessles. Then per vaginal dissection pushing the urinary bladder above and ligation of the
uterine vessels from vaginal aspect, before delivering the uterus per vaginum. Patient requires an
indwelling cather and the pain is considerably more than total laparoscopic hysterectomy.




LIVER RESECTION IN 7 YEAR OLD



LIVER MASS- 7 YR CHILD                                                     LIVER RESECTION SURGERY


                         
                                



Liver masses sometimes require to be resected. 7 year old girl was referred with mass in the left lobe of
liver for resection. This was successfully done under general anesthesia using hypotensive anesthesia.
Blood loss was less than 150 ml. No blood was transfused and she was discharged on the 7th day from
hospital.




RESECTED LIVER MASS                                            CHILD IN POST OPERATIVE ICU



                              




SPECIALITIES  & FACILITIES         



Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery
Bariatric Surgery
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Gastroenterology
ENT
Emergency medicine
General Surgery & Medicine
Diabetic Care
Oncology and Cancer
Digital Xrays, Ultrasound, ECG
Twin operating theaters, ICU
Urology
Hematology ,Biochemistry Lab
24 Hour Pharmacy
Master Health Check ups


Map of ANURAG HOSPITAL

( We are on google- so use GPS for navigation while driving to ANURAG HOSPITAL)




You can contact us through Tel/Email

Tel No. : 0422 – 6587871
Mobile No. : 9443709158, 9566070818
E-mail : anuraghospitalcoimbatore@gmail.com

Thursday, March 13, 2014

How to Live Longer and Healthy


HOW TO LIVE LONGER AND HEALTHY


“May you live a long life full of gladness and health” Irish Blessing



“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO).


Everyone wants to live longer…. and in good health.

Aging population has increased due to better living conditions, improved education and increased economics.

Gyms and Health Clubs are increasing day by day. This is a witness to what people aspire to.

Women live up to 73.5 years and men 68.5 years (UN 2012 Revision).

In India women live up to 67.7 years and men up to 64.7 years (TOI, 2012).

Described below are  20 tips on how to live well and longer; they are described first and summarized in tabular form at the end.


Summary



20 tips are under 4 headings namely


  • EATING
  • EXERCISE
  • OUTLOOK &
  • HABITS


HABITS
OUTLOOK
EXERCISE
EATING
Check Lipids
Optimism
Increase Exercise
Eat Antioxidants
Stop Smoking
Chill out
Lose Weight

Do not Oversleep
Marriage


Adopt a Pet
Laughter


Stable Finances



Reduce Stress



Manage Stress



Belong to Group



Cook Yourself



Educate



Meditate



Purpose in Life



Use your Brain









    •                                      EATING AND DRINKING



‘There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner; 
in the dinner, the sweets come last’   (Robert Louis Stevenson).


Drink lots of tea. Tea is best taken as green or black. Tea appears to lower lipids.  Green tea is also associated with less cancer and heart attack.

Advantages of tea include high energy, weight loss and slowed aging process. 5 cups of tea using bags is advocated per day.

Drink one glass of red wine a day. Polyphenols in red wine maintain elasticity of arteries and as antioxidants slow aging process.

The best sources of antioxidants are beans – kidney, pinto or black, berries including blueberries as well as bright colored vegetables. Antioxidants play a role in retarding the aging process.

One piece of dark chocolate daily appears to provide antioxidants and releases endorphins.

Eating garlic will help to avoid high blood pressure and heart ailments. Excess salt and oil (pickles) is to be avoided.

Avoid also sweets and deserts.



  1. INCREASE YOUR EXERCISE 



“I am not telling you it is easy but I’m telling you it is going to be worth it”


Exercise controls your weight, improves your self image.  

It elevates your mood and improves your endorphin level with an improved sense of well being.

A gym outing or walking group increases friendship circle. 

Exercise also helps you to sleep better.



3                                                CHECK YOUR LIPIDS









Heart attacks are more common in India and they occur at young age groups. 

Causes for heart attacks include high blood pressure, stress and family history. 

The main preventable cause is elevated cholesterol with other lipids in blood. 

These are controlled with medication after diagnosis by blood testing.

Essential fatty acids are needed for life. 

Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish like tuna, salmon and halibut and certain nuts like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and even peanuts.




4. LOSE THE EXCESS WEIGHT







Excess weight is responsible for diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, sleep disturbances, strokes, cancers, joint pains, fractures, arthritis, lipid metabolism, heart attacks, poor self image, loss of self esteem… and I can go on!

Diet, exercise and life style change can help.

In advanced or morbid obesity, surgery appears to be the best option.



                                                     5.  DO NOT OVERSLEEP





People who sleep > 8 hours a day, have reduced life span.

Those sleeping < 4 hours a day also have reduced life span.

People sleeping 6 to 7 hours per day live the longest (Arch Gen Psych 2002).



                                                                  6.  STOP SMOKING



“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I have done it thousands of times” (Mark Twain)


Smoking produces emphysema of lungs, cancer of lungs and urinary bladder, increases heart attacks and blocks blood vessels all over the body.

Depending on how many cigarettes and the duration, it definitely affects quality and length of life. 




                                                         7.  STABLE FINANCES






Better income allows easy access to medical attention, better education and improved housing.

Better finances allow you to choose more healthy , clean food and longer life.




                                                                   8.  HAVE PETS 





“Animals are such agreeable friends- they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms (George Eliot)



Pet owners stood four times the chance of recovery after a heart attack compared to pet less people.

Cat owners over 10 years have been shown to reduce death by heart attack by 30%.

Walking a dog boosts parasympathetic nervous system in the elderly and helps to calm the body.

Kids with illness or death in the family cope up better with dogs.




  1. REDUCE YOUR STRESS


“You must learn to let go. Release the stress” (Steve Maraboli)


Men with highest level of  anger response to stress were three time more  prone to heart disease than men who were slower to anger.

They were more than six times likely to have heart attack by 55 years of age.

This is largely due to increased stress leading to higher blood pressure.

So it is vital to take it easy .

Work more on less stress!



  1. MANAGE YOUR STRESS




Everyone including the elementary school going child has stress today.

Stress induces increased cortisol levels in blood. This dulls the immune mechanism of the body and alters the cognitive function.

So special management skills are required for students, parents, attending interviews, during exams, in negotiations, etc.

Too much stress leads to depression leading to imperfect results.

Highly stressed jobs pay well, but make you unhappy and shorten your life!



                                                          11.  COOKING YOURSELF






People who cook at home for 5 or more meals per week were 47% more likely to be alive after a decade against those who do not according to a Cambridge study. 

No more take away or phone orders for meals!

Self cooking at home decreases stress and saves money too!



                                                      12.  EDUCATE YOURSELF

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself (John Dewey)


Education in school and university appears to make people live longer.

Educated people know the importance of good sanitation, preventive health check ups, exercise, food and need to avoid smoking.

All over the world, it has been proved that education improves longevity.

Also people who make friends at work have less stress and live longer.


                                                                 
                                                                13.  MEDITATE






Meditation is claimed to be the most powerful healing for stress and long life.

15 minutes of meditation equals 60 minutes of sleep in relaxation of mind.

Good time to meditate is in the mornings.

During office work, short breaks of 5 minutes meditating help to relax.

Simple technique is to relax your limbs while sitting down and keep your mind away from surrounding; it helps to concentrate of one word.



                                                        14.   BELONG TO A GROUP



“If you want to walk fast, walk alone.
If you want to walk far, walk together”


Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) group belong to a specialized group of Christians who celebrate Sabbath on Saturdays.

They keep Saturdays free for getting together in church for worship and spending the whole day away from work.

The old and the young bond together at least once a week.

SDAs have more centenarians among them because of the bonding, clean living and taking time off weekly.

Five simple health behaviors promoted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for more than 100 years increase life span up to 10 years.

  • Not smoking,
  • Eating a plant based diet,
  • Eating nuts several times per week,
  • Regular exercise and
  • Maintaining normal body weight



                                                    15.    HAVE A PURPOSE IN LIFE



    Mystery of human existence is in finding something to live for, not just staying alive”  (Brothers- Karamazov)


    Centenarians were interviewed about what made them live.

    Each of them had a compelling purpose to get up in the morning and work. Incentive to work and purpose to live is one of the most important stimuli.

    Compulsion to go and take care of your own work is something we need to learn from the elderly.



                                                                 16.  USE YOUR BRAIN






    Problem solving skills like Sudoku or crossword puzzles appear to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

    Reading a good book makes you think.

    Even in disasters or emergencies, the well read person can figure out a way easily.







                                                            17.  IMPROVE OPTIMISM



    “Pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity  in every difficulty “ (Winston Churchill)



    Optimistic folks had 50% reduction in risks of early death compared to pessimists (Mayo clinic).

    They are happy, less stressed and tend to have more of normal blood pressures.




                                                                   18.    CHILL OUT






    Men with anger response are more likely to have premature heart disease by three times compared to those who are relaxed.

    Angry people are more likely to have heart attack by six times by the age of 55 years (John Hopkins University) compared to those who decide bygones be bygones.



                                                                       19.  LAUGH







    “Laughter the best medicine”


    Laughter releases stress and produces less cortisol, adrenal hormones and increases happy Endorphin levels in blood.

    Learn to see the humorous side of life!

    The more you laugh, the less you are angry!

    The angrier you get, the greater the heart attack (Princeton Longevity Center)



                                                                      20.   MARRIAGE




    “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

    Longevity and healthy aging is an inherited phenotype across three generations (Mechanisms of Aging and Development ,Feb 2005). 
    So, if you are still single, pick a partner who has live, old grandparents. This will help your children, if not you!
    Married people live longer.
    Divorce shortens your life span! So make sure you marry the right person who will make you happy (and vice versa) in the long run! This will help you!

    END