Act now: Obesity IS a disease
The myth of it being ‘a sign of prosperity’ has long been debunked with another dangerous red-flag being waved urgently and vigorously. Thirteen cancers, particularly in women, are being closely linked to obesity, MediScene learns. Along with obesity, the vulnerability for meningioma, thyroid, oesophagus, breast, liver, upper stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, bowel, ovarian, womb and [...]
Elusive delicacy overflowing with goodness and flavour
Sweetsop also known as sugar-apple is an exotic tropical delicacy overflowing with a pleasant custardy flavour and distinct sweet-smelling fragrance. Annona squamosa in the genus Annona of the family Annonaceae is closely related to the commonly known cherimoya and soursop. Sweetsop is unique among Annona fruits in that it typically has a bumpy appearance with knobby [...]
Pain and stiffness? You may have a frozen shoulder
A very painful shoulder with lots of stiffness and inability to lift the arm above the head might be due to a condition called frozen shoulder. The more complicated medical term given for this is “adhesive capsulitis” but this name is not used often. There are many reasons for frozen shoulder and also various treatment [...]
Beware of aortic tear that could mimic a heart attack
It may not be as common in Sri Lanka as in the west but it is lethal. It can also oft be misdiagnosed as it could mimic a heart attack or even a stroke which would make it deadly for the patient, as the most common sign is excruciating chest pain. It is linked to [...]
Taming the last two of the Big Four
Last month I discussed the first two of the Big Four in psychiatry; depressive disorder and schizophrenia. This month I will look at the other two; manic depressive disorder and dementia. Bipolar disorder Manic depressive disorder or bipolar affective disorder (BAD) is a serious mental disorder affecting mainly adults over the age of 18 years. [...]
The Queen of Spices reigns over many health benefits
Cardamom, Enasal or Karadamungu in Sinhalese, ĒElakkay in Tamil is the third most expensive spice in the spice market, behind only saffron and vanilla. Also known as the ‘Queen of spices’ or ‘Grain of paradise’, cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, is a small spindle-shaped green seed pod with a thin, yet tough, papery outer cover. The pod [...]
To do or not to do?
Decisions, decisions: our lives are full of them, never less so than when it comes to our health. For the big decisions, there’s your doctor or a specialist who can help. But what about those niggly, everyday conundrums? We asked the experts for the most appropriate response. Their answers may surprise you (and might just [...]