Dr. Sunita Jain

If you are in an area which has a lot of mosquitoes, any fever that is not subsiding in a couple of days is a cause for concern as it can be due to dengue. It is one of the dreadful diseases doing the rounds in the recent years and when someone complains of fever and joint pain, the first question we ask if they got checked for dengue. This is caused by a virus that is carried by an infected mosquito.

The blood is made up of 3 types of cells mainly that are in a liquid medium called the plasma. The red blood cells are the oxygen-carrying cells and the white blood cells fight infection and provide immunity. The third type are the platelets, they are smaller than the other two and help in blood clotting. With dengue fever, both the white blood cell count and the platelet count are decreased. Normal platelet count in the body ranges from 1.5 to 4 lacs and in patients with dengue; this can go down to as low as 20,000 to 40,000. This is because of the following:

• Dengue suppresses bone marrow, which is the platelet-producing area, leading to decreased platelet count.
• Blood cells affected by dengue virus damage platelets, leading to their drastic fall in numbers
• Antibodies produced in dengue also lead to massive destruction of platelets

Patient presents with nonspecific symptoms including a high fever that does not subside, vomiting, pain behind the eyes, headache, nausea, and severe muscular and joint pain. The eye pain and the joint pain lead to the suspicion of the dengue fever. Symptoms develop after 4 to 7 days after the bite. The fever lasts for about 5 to 7 days and is followed by a prolonged period of fatigue, joint pains, body pain, and rashes.

For the sake of confirming the diagnosis, the doctor will run some lab tests. These include testing for antibodies IgG and IgM, PCR testing to check the virus and a complete blood count. This will reveal the decrease in the white blood cells and the platelets to a significant degree. Whether or not a person requires platelet transfusion will be decided by the doctor based on the person’s age, immunity levels and severity of the disease.

There isn't a particular level below which a person would require platelet transfusion. In aged people and with people who have other chronic diseases, platelet transfusion may be required even if the blood count is about 50,000. The doctor will decide this based on the patient’s health. The right thing to do is to go for a medical consultation and discuss your situation with the doctor and identify what needs to be done for your condition specifically. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Unique problem in dealing with age related spinal disorders is that degenerative changes (age related wear and tear) are very common and can exist without causing pain, while at the same time, some of them can be the cause of significant pain and disability in some patients.

• These changes can exist in multiple levels in the spine making it difficult to identify clinically, despite a thorough clinical examination, the exact level or structure that is the main cause of the spinal pain. The fact that they can exist without causing pain in many people compounds the situation. So, seeing an x-ray or mri of the spine is not enough to exactly identify the pain generator in the spine.
• In situations where there is spinal pain and there are multiple level degenerative changes seen on the mri, spinal injections are used as a test to temporarily block the pain from some structures in order to help identify the most likely cause of pain and help deciding further treatment plan accordingly.
• These injections are also used as treatmentof spinal pain (back/neck pain, sciatica) caused by a specific structural problem for relieving pain, while we wait for the problem to settle down naturally; and in those who are not responding to medication and physiotherapy. Another situation where injections are used is in patients who need surgery but cannot be operated for other reasons or want to postpone the surgery temporarily.
• Typically the injections are done under local anaesthesia, with the patient lying in an operation theatre with x-ray facility or in a ct scan console to help pass the needle to the exact desired location in the spine. A local anaesthetic alone or in combination with a steroid medication is injected. The target location may be the facet joints, si joints, disc or a near the nerve root.
• Many spine surgeons use these injections as a tool to help in accurate diagnosis as well as treatment of spinal pain world over.

A sexual interaction is not only about the physical intimacy, but has a lot to do with your mental and emotional state. Being in a perfect physical, mental, and emotional state of mind enhances the sexual performance by several folds. Unfortunately, for some couples, sex can be a nightmare, leaving them depressed and stressed out. Some individuals get cold feet at the mere thought of sex, a condition known as sexual anxiety or sexual performance anxiety.

There can be many factors that contribute towards sexual anxiety in both males and females. While stress (physical and mental) is believed to be a leading trigger, the problem can also be an outcome of a strained relationship or not being happy about one's own body. At times, sexual anxiety can also surface when an individual tries too hard to satisfy their partner in bed.

How unani can help in overcoming sexual anxiety?
Sexual anxiety may not be a small problem as it often appears to be. Unattended for long, sexual anxiety can trigger erectile and ejaculation problems (such as premature ejaculation, having difficulties in getting an erection) in males. Females too might find it difficult to get an orgasm. The Unani treatment, believed to have its origin in Greece (introduced in India by Persians and Arabs), never fails to enthrall us with its unique treatment.

Also known as Greco-Arabs medicine or Oriental medicine, Unani believes that a diseased condition is a natural body process while the associated symptoms are nothing but the body's reaction to the disease. According to Unani, there are four vital humors in the body - Phlegm (Balgham), Blood (Dum), Yellow bile (Safra) and Black bile (Sauda). These humors are responsible for keeping the body well nourished so as to ensure optimum activities of the vital body organs.

Before treating the patient, the physician (Hakim) will carefully study the pulse of the patient to understand the functioning of the humors and also to identify the humor that is dominant over the others. Depending on the severity of the sexual anxiety, the physician may recommend

• A detoxification of the body to exclude the harmful toxins out of the body, enhancing the overall functioning and immunity of the body. This procedure is also known as Regimental Therapy (Ilaj Bil Tadbeer).
• Since sexual anxiety is often found to be triggered by physical and mental stress, the Unani system also emphasizes the need to eat balanced and nutritious foods. The healthy dietary modifications go a long way to improve the condition of sexual performance anxiety. This therapy is known as Dietotherapy (Ilaj Bil Ghiza).
• Based on the associated discomfort, Unani medicines which are 100% natural (based on plant products and herbs) are given to the affected individuals, a therapy termed as Pharmacotherapy (Ilaj Bil Dawa). Pharmacotherapy, amalgamated with Regimental Therapy and Dietotherapy plays a pivotal role to alleviate the complications and discomfort associated with sexual Anxiety, ensuring all the four humors are in balance.
• In cases where sexual anxiety is a result of some some underlying medical condition, surgery (Jarahat) may be required.

 In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

If you’ve ever played Blind Man’s Buff you know how helpless it can feel to be unable to see. While some people are born blind, others lose sight as a result of health issues, accidents etc. Imagine how a person would feel to be able to see something for the first time or to regain their sight?

Every human being with sight can choose to donate their eyes after their death and gift another person vision. When it comes to eye donation, there is no restriction on the person’s age or overall health. Even a person who has had surgery on their eyes can choose to donate them as long as the cornea is unaffected. It is not only noble but the thought of being able to give some a chance to see the world with your eyes can give you immense joy.

However, just a thought is not enough, there are few other facts to be kept in mind before going for eye donation:

1. Eyes need to be donated within 6 hours of a person’s death: For your eyes to be viable for a donation they must be harvested within 6 hours of death. Thus, if you choose to be a donor, it is important for you to inform your family and friends of this decision. Eye donation can also be authorized by the deceased’s next of kin.
2. Donation does not cost money: There are no costs involved in donating your eyes. Profiting by buying and selling human organs and tissues is a criminal at and can be punishable by law.
3. The whole eye is not transplanted: The most common cause of blindness is a damaged or diseased cornea. Thus, only this area is transplanted to enable a person to see. The cornea is a thin, transparent flap located in front of the colored part of the eye. Thus, donating eyes does not disfigure the deceased person in any way.
4. Even people who wear spectacles can donate their eyes: Short sightedness or far sightedness are conditions caused by irregularities with the lens inside the eye and do not affect the cornea. Thus these conditions do not interfere with their ability to donate their eyes after death. Even people who have been operated upon for cataracts, retinal detachments or glaucoma may choose to donate their eyes. It is even possible for a person who has received a corneal transplant to donate their eyes as long as the cornea is healthy and clear.
5. Corneal Transplants have a high success rate: There is no blood supply to the cornea and hence there is a very low risk of the body rejecting a donor cornea. In many cases, this rejection can be treated and suppressed with medication.

Though over 30,000 corneas are donated and transplanted each year, there is still a long waiting list at eye banks. Thus, it time you take a pledge to make someone else's life beautiful. Do not think twice about donating your eyes and encourage people around you to do so as well. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ophthalmologist.