Good News For Cataract Patients

Food safety is crucial to avoiding food poisoning
If you have a cataract, walk into the doctor's clinic, get a surgery and walk out in less than an hour to resume normal work.

Microphakonit, an innovation in cataract surgery by Chennai-based doctor Amar Agarwal, not only takes a few minutes to perform but also promises to also allow patients to resume regular activities almost immediately afterwards.

The new technique was demonstrated at the B.B. Eye Foundation here Sunday.

The surgical procedure, designed to improve treatment of cataract, uses micro incision (700 microns) surgery and is minimally invasive. It allows quicker recovery and better results.

About 300 leading ophthalmologists from across India watched on a giant screen as Agarwal along with P.K. Bakshi, eminent ophthalmologist and founder and director of B.B. Eye Foundation, performed the surgery.

It is now possible for a patient to walk in and get his cataract removed and get back to work or normal life almost immediately, claimed the two doctors.Microphakonit will be 20 to 30 percent costlier and it will take only 15 to 20 minutes to perform.

"This is a major milestone and a feather in India's cap. Agarwal's technique is a trendsetter and marks a new era in cataract surgery," said prominent doctor Bakshi.

There are 10 to 12 million cases of blindness in India every year. Of these, a whopping eight million are due to cataract, said Agarwal adding that his innovation is not patented. He hoped that doctors across the world would use this technique for safety and speedy recovery of patients.

Currently, in the whole of eastern and northeastern India, this surgical technique is available only at the B.B. Eye Foundation, said the doctors.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy today is a rapidly growing system and is being practiced almost all over the world. In India it has become a household name due the safety of its pills and gentleness of its cure. A rough study indicates that about 10% of the Indian population solely depend on Homoeopathy for their Health care needs.

It is more than a century and a half now that Homoeopathy is being practiced in India. It hasblended so well into the roots and traditions of the country that it has been recognised as one of the National Systems of Medicine and plays a an important role in providing health care to a large number of people. Its strength lies in its evident effectiveness as it takes a holistic approach towards the sick individual through promotion of inner balance at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels.

The word ‘Homoeopathy’ is derived from two Greek words, Homois meaning similar and pathos meaning suffering. Homoeopathy simply means treating diseases with remedies, prescribed in minute doses, which are capable of producing symptoms similar to the disease when taken by healthy people. It is based on the natural law of healing- "Similia Similibus Curantur" which means "likes are cured by likes". Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) gave it a scientific basis in the early 19th century. It has been serving suffering humanity for over two centuries and has withstood the upheavals of time and has emerged as a time-tested therapy. The scientific principles propounded by Hahnemann are natural and well proven and continue to be followed with success.

ORIGIN

The principle of Homoeopathy has been known since the time of Hippocrates from Greece, the founder of medicine, around 450 BC More than a thousand years later the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus employed the same system of healing based upon the principle that "like cures like". But it was not until the late 18th century that Homoeopathy as it is practiced today was evolved by the great German physician, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. He was appalled by the medical practices of that time and set about to develop a method of healing which would be safe, gentle, and effective. He believed that human beings have a capacity for healing themselves and that the symptoms of disease reflect the individuals struggle to overcome his illness.

Over two hundred years ago, the German physician Dr. Samuel Hahnemann discovered the principle that what substance could cause in the way of symptoms, it could also cure.Hahnemann was struck by the effect that certain drugs, when taken by him while quite healthy, produced symptoms that the drug was known to cure in sick. For instance, when he took Cinchona Bark, which contains quinine, he became ill with symptoms that exactly mimicked intermittent fever (now called malaria). He wondered if the reason Cinchona worked against intermittent fever was because it caused symptoms indistinguishable from intermittent fever in a healthy human.

Hahnemann continued to experiment, noting that every substance he took, whether a herb, a mineral, an animal product or a chemical compound, produced definite distinct symptoms in him. He further noted that no two substances produced exactly the same set of symptoms. Each provoked its own unique pattern of symptoms. Furthermore the symptoms were not just confined to the physical plane. Every substance tested also affected the mind and the emotions apart from the body.Eventually, Hahnemann began to treat the sick
on the principle ‘let likes be treated by likes’. From the outset he achieved outstanding clinical success.

Back Pain

The Basics
Here's one problem you can't turn your back on! But you can get some relief from knowing that very few people turn out to have a major problem or a dangerous medical condition involving the bones or joints of the back. In fact, often the exact cause of a person's back pain can't be pinpointed exactly. Many cases result from everyday activities and clear up by themselves within a relatively short time period. Whether your back pain requires a doctor's care or not, chances are you'll be "back" to normal in (almost) no time.

Description .

Back pain may be blamed on poor muscle tone in the back, muscle tension or spasm, back sprains, ligament or muscle tears, and/or joint problems. If you have a so-called "slipped disc" in your spinal column, you may suffer buttock or leg pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs due to irritation of nerves from the spinal cord. Emotional stress or long periods of inactivity may worsen back pain.

People in poor physical condition (including obesity) or those who do work that includes heavy labor or long periods of sitting or standing have a higher risk of developing low back problems; they also get better more slowly.

Occasionally back pain can be due to other conditions. These include arthritis, ulcers or other intestinal problems, kidney disease, pregnancy or other gynecological conditions, heart disease, and cancer. If back pain seems unrelated to an injury or activity, or is in any other way unusual, a visit to the doctor is recommended.

Symptoms

Back pain is usually confined to the lower back, but it may extend to other areas, particularly the legs. Affected parts of the back may feel tender or sore to the touch, and the pain may increase with movement. Pain can be felt as sharp or knife-like, a burning sensation, or as a dull muscular ache. Symptoms can range from mildly uncomfortable to completely disabling.

Treatment

Most episodes of mild back pain will improve without any medical intervention. Over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen can provide temporary relief. It's a good idea to avoid overly strenuous or repetitive activity, but bed rest should generally be avoided. In fact, numerous clinical trials have confirmed that continued activity and prescribed exercises reduce back discomfort and result in more rapid recovery. In addition, a good exercise program may help prevent recurrence -- common with back pain. Check with your doctor if your symptoms worsen or don't improve rapidly.

Other helpful back-pain treatments include physical therapy, massage, and spinal manipulation. In addition, a panel from the National Institutes of Health has concluded that acupuncture may be useful as one form of treatment in a comprehensive management program for back pain. Surgical treatment of back pain is dictated not by the sufferer's degree of discomfort but by the type of structural problem that is causing the pain. In some cases, surgery can be a highly effective option.