Dr. Rashmi

The pressure of blood vessels in the body is referred to as blood pressure. It is essentially the measure of the force of the blood while it travels through the vessels. Doctors measure it with a blood pressure device and a stethoscope. A reading higher than the normal reading is termed as which blood pressure.

Blood pressure during pregnancy is of 3 types:

1. Chronic hypertension: This is the kind of hypertension that could be pre-existent before the pregnancy or has developed after 5th month of pregnancy.
2. Gestational hypertension: This is the type of hypertension, which stays till late pregnancy and disappears suddenly. There are no particular symptoms about it.
3. Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH): This condition is also known as preeclampsia or toxemia. It can cause serious potential harm if medical care is not taken on time. Both the mother and the baby gets affected if not treatment is not started on time. It typically affects a woman during the 20th week of pregnancy. Some other symptoms include excess protein in the blood and the urine.

The risk of pregnancy induced hypertension:
PIH can have serious consequences on the baby and the mother at large. The placenta fails to carry an adequate amount of protein in urine. This can result in several complications ranging from a low body weight of the fetus to other birth related complications. Once common complications where a baby suffers is known as eclampsia. This is a condition where both the baby and the mother suffer from seizures.

Symptoms of pregnancy induced hypertension:
There are various symptoms of pregnancy induced hypertensions. Some of the visible signs of this condition are vomiting blood, faster heartbeat, acute headaches, swelling of the hands and feet, less than normal urine, nausea, persistent fever, pain in the tummy, dizziness, frequent vomiting, drowsiness and blurred vision. Other symptoms are headache, excess weight gain, edema over feet, abdominal wall and other parts of body. If a woman is facing any one or more of the above symptoms, she should make it a point to visit a doctor at the earliest.

Risk factors of pregnancy induced hypertension:
PIH is frequently observed in those women whose sisters or mothers have faced the same during their pregnancies. The risk factors increase in those women who are carrying more than one baby. A woman who have not attended adulthood or who are above the age of 40 also runs the risk of suffering from pregnancy induced hypertension.

Diagnosis and treatment:
There is no single test that could identify PIH. Along with the usual symptoms, a doctor looks for persistent high blood pressure for any indication. A doctor might prescribe few blood tests to confirm the diagnosis. The treatment that works for this condition is to ensure that the baby is delivered at the earliest. If it’s the condition is detected few weeks before the delivery, a doctor let the condition be as it is, if however, the condition is diagnosed several months before the pregnancy, a doctor can have the baby delivered early in order to ensure the sound health of the baby and the mother. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist.

Forensic psychiatry is generally identified as a specialized offshoot of psychiatry, dealing with the calculated treatment and evaluation of mentally disordered offenders in secure hospitals, prisons and in the community. This branch of psychiatry requires an indepth understanding and thorough knowledge of the connection between legality and mental health. 

Patients of Forensic Psychiatry, generally are affected with personality dysfunctions, mental illness, psychopathic disorders, organic brain damage, learning disability and other conditions, such as histories of abuse and traumatic experiences as well as substance abuse and misuse.

Nature of the work
The most important prerequisite of this branch of psychiatry is a secure and safe environment where the subjects are liable to legal restrictions. Evaluation and assessment may vary from highly secured hospitals and prisons to low secure units and community based services. Forensic psychiatrists must have a thorough knowledge of civil, criminal and case law because of their frequent dealings with criminal justice agencies and the courts. 

An important component of Forensic Psychiatry is risk assessment and evaluation. Forensic psychiatrists must be fluent and adept at handling patients during emergencies or routine situations. Moreover, they should be calm, composed and professional in their dealings, especially with patients who display instability or violent and aggressive behavior.

The probation service, the prison service and the courts generally rely on forensic psychiatrists for expert advice, precisely because of their familiarity with preparing reports for mental health review tribunals and criminal justice agencies.

Imperatives: 

1. Quintessentially, the obligatory role of a forensic psychiatrist requires:
2. Ability to treat others with understanding and respect
3. Ability to work flexibly
4. Emotional resilience along with the ability to empathize with patients
5. Anticipation and an inherent initiative to work in challenging situations
6. Good communication skills
7. A scientific and analytic approach and assessment
8. Good leadership qualities

Indians have always been known for their passion of food, which is usually rich and creamy. With the recent calorie consciousness setting in, the Indian foods are also blamed for being rich in calories. It is therefore time to take a step back and watch the calories that you are packing with each meal.

Listed below are some common Indian foods, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, and their corresponding caloric value. The next time you plan your meal, take a conscious decision based on your overall health. This does not mean you should not relish these exotic dishes. Make sure if you have had a ghee-laden gaajar ka halwa, make sure to burn that extra calories by extending your gym time.

1. Chicken curry: This popular dish with curry, chicken, and other spices like ginger, saffron and other spices contain about 600 kcal for a serving.
2. Daal: About 300 g of cooked dal has about 350 kcal. The good news with daal is that gives the maximum amount of proteins, especially for non-meat eaters.
3. Biryani: A bowl of vegetable biryani contains about 550 kcal while chicken biryani gives about 800 kcal. Again, this depends on the additional ingredients like the amount of ghee or oil used and other ingredients.
4. Korma: While the chicken korma gives up to 900 kcal, a bowl of vegetable curry gives about 350 kcal.
5. Samosas: A meat samosa has about 320 kcal, while a vegetable samosa has about 250 kcal.
6. Chole bature: This fried food with big sized puris and chickpeas pack in about 450 kcal per serving.
7. Pav bhaji: Another popular evening snack with fried bread and gravy, this has loads of butter applied to the bread and so it is not surprise that you add about 450 kcal with a plate of pav bhaji.
8. Jalebi: This popular Indian sweet is made by deep-frying wheat-flour batter in circular shapes and soaking it in sugary syrup. Whether eaten hot or cold, it gives you about 460 kcal per serving. Add a spoonful of rich creamy rabdi to it and there would be another 150 kcal.
9. Ras malai: This rich creamy sweet is extremely popular in Northern parts of India and provides about 250 kcal per serving
10. Halwa: If loaded with ghee, a cupful of carrot halwa can give you about 250 kcal.Onion pakoras: This popular spicy snack contains deep fried gram flour and onions and packs in about 200 kcal when 3 pieces are eaten.

Now that you know how much calories some of your regular foods are carrying, make a mental note of all the foods you are eating on a daily basis, and make sure it does not cross about 2000 per day.