After ERAS, mERAS brings honour to Sri Lanka
Bowel cancer, surgery and management the traditional way have been inextricably linked in Sri Lanka, until a bright young surgeon returned in 2010 from the United Kingdom (UK) and turned this thinking upside down. Breaking free of tradition, he introduced laparoscopy (keyhole) or minimal-access surgery for colorectal cancers as well as the “revolutionary” management of [...]
Digital addiction – ways and means to overcome it
Last month I discussed the dangers of digital addiction and some ways of escaping it. This month I am writing on other ways of combating the problem. These methods draw from Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism. In 1971 a study found that 15% of American servicemen on active duty in Vietnam were addicted to heroin. [...]
Let’s talk endometriosis
Vraie Balthazar remembers thinking: “This can’t be normal.” Her periods had taken on a kind of life of their own. She would bleed not just three or four days, but seven days. Her sanitary napkins needed to be changed every two hours. She would layer them together, two-pads deep, to make a kind of adult [...]
Free screening centre that can help in early detection of cancer
A project, set up in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Colombo and the Health Ministry marks 15 years Each year 15- 20,000 new cases of cancer are detected in Sri Lanka, of which over 50% are females. Cancer accounts for the second highest number of deaths from Non Communicable Diseases despite the fact that breast, [...]
Popping in tablets? Here’s what you should know
Most of us take medicines either for an acute illness or chronic illness. While an acute illness comes on suddenly, a chronic illness is persistent, necessitating long-term medication. Some of us also take different types of medicine. Here, Consultant Physician Prof. Priyadarshani Galappatthy who is Professor in Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of [...]