Stage Set for Celebration of Excellence in Healthcare
Dear readers,
Thank you for your continuous support and encouragement that has enabled your favourite magazine to serve you a veritable feast of health news, views, research and development month after month. With your kind blessings, Double Helical is all set to organise Double Helical National Health Awards 2018 at a glittering ceremony to be held in New Delhi on 16th November 2018.
As always, team Double Helical seeks your best wishes and participation to make the event a success for the further advancement of this noble profession and welfare of the suffering humanity.
The issue carries a variety of interesting, informative and incisive stories. The cover story entitled “Waging War On Black Fever” on eminent medical scientist, former health minister and veteran politician Dr C P Thakur brings out how he has revolutionised the treatment of Kala-azar (KA) or Black Fever, a chronic and potentially fatal parasitic disease. As India has missed the 2017 deadline for KA’s elimination, his extensive research provides key insights into the evolving situation of KA in the country as well as its treatment and prevention aspects.
The issue also carries a special, comprehensive story on cataract that seeks to answer all questions on this disease such as what causes cataract; how it can be prevented; how it is detected; how it affects the vision, can problems develop after surgery; what are the latest surgical interventions to treat cataract, and many more.
If you are experiencing symptoms like blurry vision, trouble seeing at night, fading of colours, increased sensitivity to glare, halos surrounding lights and double vision in the affected eye, you must immediately seek medical advice, as these are unmistakable signs of cataract. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other. It can interfere with daily activities and lead to blindness when left untreated. Although it may stop growing, it does not get smaller on its own.
Cataract is common among people over 60 years old but can occur at any age. As people age, the inner lens of the eye becomes cloudy. This results in hazy vision, glare from lights and distortion of colour. The surgical removal of cataracts is a very common and highly effective procedure, and the standard treatment for cataract. The cloudy natural lens is removed, and an artificial lens is implanted in the eye. After surgery, vision becomes clear and the patient is back to doing his normal activities.
Another story in the issue highlights the growing trend of tobacco addiction. It reveals how special treatment through holistic medicine offers an all-inclusive, natural, and harmless drug-free therapy to get rid of nicotine dependence. Any addiction is never a reflection on the character of the individual. But, it happens as a result of disturbance in the complex balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. The individual seeks solace from the active chemicals in the used substance, which is identified to be nicotine in the case of tobacco.
The root cause of any substance dependence, abuse or addiction comes from repeated positive memory, e.g., that smoking or chewing tobacco brings relief from stressful situations, gives pleasure, enhances ego parity with the peer group, or builds a macho image. This process is further strengthened by sophisticated publicity and promotion launched by tobacco companies.
Unfortunately, no specific medication or particular system of medicine offers reliable and lasting solution to tobacco or any other substance abuse. But, the ‘science’ of practice of medicine combined with its ‘art’ termed holistic medicine, enables a very efficient protocol based on optimum synergy of drug-free natural and harmless modalities of various recognised systems of medicine. This approach yields success in over 90% patients with sustainable benefits in willing individuals.
There are many more analytical, engaging and thought-provoking stories, based on intensive research, insight and field inputs. So, happy reading to all of you!
Amresh K Tiwary,
Editor-in-Chief