Health & Wellness Community

QurHealth is a Chennai-based personalized healthcare startup that has successfully onboarded more than around 100 hospitals in four major cities including Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Delhi. The main aim is to redefine personalized healthcare for patients in India. According to a statement, the partnership has happened in just nine months since the startup’s inception. The company aims to establish itself as a safe and trusted choice for patients and their families for receiving personalised care, online and in-person. Ravi Kunduru, founder and CEO of QurHealth said, “We are humbled to serve patients in all age groups and enabling them with safe, secure, and compliant access to their personalised caregivers, doctors, and hospitals. We hope to serve 100 million patients as a secure and trustworthy care concierge firm with a network of one million providers and healthcare professionals over the next five years globally.” Source: News Today      

Abbott, a global healthcare brand, recently announced the acquisition of Walk Vascular, LLC, which is a commercial-stage medical device company with a minimally invasive mechanical aspiration thrombectomy system designed to remove peripheral blood clots. The Walk Vascular’s peripheral thrombectomy system will be incorporated into the endovascular product portfolio. Although the financial terms regarding this acquisition were not disclosed. The Walk Vascula’sJETi Peripheral Thrombectomy System and next-generation JETi AIO (All in One) Peripheral Thrombectomy System are innovative systems for the removal of intravascular clots, which are known as a thrombus, that can lead to serious complications for a patient by reducing blood flow. The aspirational JETi System is designed in a way to break up and remove clots from the peripheral vascular system while reducing the risk of dislodged clots. These systems are clinically tested and Walk has currently enrolled around 250 patients in the United States and Europe in their JETi Registry. Source: Healthworld.com

The pandemic brought so many hurdles and yet again a lot of evolutions as well. The electronic evolutions were one of the tops on the list. In this era adoption of electronic directly observed therapy (eDOT) technologies is gaining attraction by providing apt medical services to its patients. We cannot deny the fact that directly observed therapy, which focuses on monitoring the adherence event itself is the basis of medication the best standard way. But yes, it can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.  On the other hand, eDOT technologies allow a great scope of flexibility for clinicians and patients.  Along with that offering several other benefits as well, such as improved medication adherence and patient education. Electronic Directly Observed Therapy The use of a lot of digital gadgets such as mobile phones, tablets, and computers in the daily life of a person has opened gates to eDOT treatment programs for patients especially with tuberculosis or diabetes, or transplant recipients on complex immune suppressive regimens. If we consider a live eDOT visit, the clinician as well as the patient schedule a specific day and time to meet virtually, and the clinician can watch its patients taking medicine in the right way that in real-time.  This also opens the opportunity for the clinician to ask their patient how they are feeling, check medication before being taken, and also open the scope to ask the patient directly if they are facing any side effects during the medication and also reply to any query the patient has on that particular time. Similarly, a recorded eDOT is when the patients and the clinician cannot set a particular fixed time to meet each other online, and simultaneously the patient record himself or herself while taking medication. After the recording is done the patient can share it with the clinician for the further process. Benefits of eDOT technologies This technology is letting the patients become more comfortable and more desirous of the video-based care that can help with medication adherence. There are a lot of patients that lack the infrastructure to be successfully taking medications and they need support.  With this the healthcare provider can also use eDOT to adjust some habits, such as taking diabetes medication with food, ensuring that transplant recipients are taking their medicine on time. Also, assuring the side effects. It can also become the best tool for a clinician for giving coaching or training to the patients. In a lot of incidences of asthma, where the patients are especially children. eDOT can help kids to take their inhalers on time and the right way. As asthma is most chronic in kids, and the best practices of treatment rely mostly upon the medication controller. In such revolutionary ways, eDOT is becoming a bridge between making medication adherence more effective and easier. Especially in a time where medical assistance has become more required and also more crucial to be available at anytime and anywhere. Benefits of eDOT technologiesThis technology is letting the patients become more comfortable and more desirous of the video-based care that can help with medication adherence. There are a lot of patients that lack the infrastructure to be successfully taking medications and they need support. With this the healthcare provider can also use eDOT to adjust some habits, such as taking diabetes medication with food, ensuring that transplant recipients are taking their medicine on time. Also, assuring the side effects. It can also become the best tool for a clinician for giving coaching or training to the patients. In a lot of incidences of asthma, where the patients are especially children. eDOT can help kids to take their inhalers on time and the right way. As asthma is most chronic in kids, and the best practices of treatment rely mostly upon the medication controller. In such revolutionary ways, eDOT is becoming a bridge between making medication adherence more effective and easier. Especially in a time where medical assistance has become more required and also more crucial to be available at anytime and anywhere.

Over the years, people have started to realize the importance of a plant-based diet. Veganism is not just a fad amongst youngsters; it is a growing culture and practice that the world needs. We are not trying to impose veganism but, let’s try to understand why a plant-based diet is important in one’s lifestyle.  Based on statistics it has been found that the sales of plant-based foods have been growing for years. But, from 2018 20, the sales of plant-based foods grew three times faster. This is evidence enough to understand that more people are opting to include vegetables in their diet.  “For heart health protection, your diet needs to focus on the quality of plant foods, and it’s possible to benefit by reducing your consumption of animal foods without eliminating them from your diet,” says Dr Ambika Satija of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Need for Plant-based Diets A healthy plant-based diet should include a mix of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy protein, and healthy oils. As per various nutritionists and healthcare professionals, proper proportions of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein must be consumed daily to stay fit and healthy. The benefits of consuming a plant based diet are: According to scientific research and studies, it has been found that people who follow ahealthy plant-based diet have the lowest risk for heart disease.  They are more active and leanerOn the other hand, those who follow the unhealthful plant-based diet have a substantially higher riskfor heart disease.Hence, reducing animal foods leads to a healthier diet and greater heart protection. Also, for ages, doctors and parents have been emphasizing eating a heavy breakfast. Many people just have juice or coffee and tend to skip on the meal part. Breakfast is supposed to be the first meal of the day. Eating a plant-based healthy breakfast reduces the risk of atherosclerosis.  According to an article published by Harvard health, more than 4,000 adults who were free from cardiovascular disease or chronic kidney disease were classed into three groups: those who consumed less than 5% of their total energy intake in the morning (they either skipped breakfast or had only coffee or juice); those who consumed more than 20% (high-energy-breakfast consumers who ate complete meals with more whole grains and fruit); and those who consumed between 5% and 20% (low-energy-breakfast consumers who had meals like toast or pastries and coffee). What is a Healthy Diet?  Avoid Sugary Drinks – Try drinking at least eight glasses of water in a day. You can also drinktea and coffee (with little or no sugar). Whole Grains – Under whole grains, you can consume whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta,and brown rice.  Fruits – Eating fruits of all colours is essential.  Vegetables – Eating veggies of all kinds is the best for a healthy body.  Healthy Oils – Limiting butter and avoiding trans fat will lead to a healthy body. Using olive andcanola oil for cooking will be a good practice.  ConclusionTo conclude the topic, we would like to say that adopting a plant-based diet will make your body, mind and soul healthier. Cutting off on red meat will reduce the risk of heart diseases. Even though embracing an overall plant-based diet might be difficult initially, it will help you walk down the path of hearty, joyous and healthy life.

The death toll stands at 439,020 after the addition of 460 new fatalities After the subsiding of the second wave, India is now experiencing a new surge in COVID-19 cases. The rise in infections was notices when 41,965 samples tested positive in the last 24 hours. The data was updated on the Union Health Ministry’s website. The rise is a noticeable jump of 11,024 cases from yesterday’s numbers when the country logged 30,941 fresh cases. Astonishingly, Kerala accounted for more than half of the cases reported in the last 24 hours. The southern state logged 30,203 cases and 115 deaths yesterday from the country’s total of 41,965 cases. As per data, the total number of cases has now reached 32,810,845, and the death toll stands at 439,020 after the addition of 460 new fatalities. The weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 2.58 per cent. It has been below three per cent for the last 68 days. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 97.51 per cent, as per the ministry. On the vaccination front, the country crossed the ten million mark on Tuesday after the authorities administered 133 million doses in a single day. Source: The news has been published from Hindustan Times with a few edits from the ArdorComm News Network team.  

Johnson and Johnson made it clear in its statement that their experimental vaccines have failed to provide apt protection against HIV in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, to the young one who are most likely at a high risk of being infected. As vaccines show a mid-stage failure it does highlight the challenges of vaccines development. That too for a disease like the Human immunodeficiency virus, which certainly has no approved vaccine so far. In the statement by Paul Stoffels, J&J Chief, he said, “HIV is a unique and complex virus that has long posed unprecedented challenges for the vaccine development because of its ability to hijack, attack and evade the human immune system”. The study in which the vaccines were tested included 2600 women participants, from across five Southern African countries, where women and girls are accounted for more than 60% of all new HIV infections last year.  After this, the study is not to be continued, based on the data received, as per Johnson and Johnson. Also, the participants of the study will be informed about the received results and will be told whether they received a placebo or vaccine. Source: healthworld.com

Expert committee suggestions will be implemented says Health Minister Sudhakar. Bengaluru: Looking at the possibility of COVID third wave, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Monday said that the state is getting prepared to address the pandemic and will implement suggestions made by the expert committee. “I have thanked them for the report and will discuss it with my technical committee members. We’ll try to implement their valuable suggestions if we have not taken those points in consideration. We want to prevent the third wave,” Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said. Sudhakar added that the health practitioners and private nursing homes of Karnataka had formed a committee to combat the possible third COVID wave. He also added that they’ve officially presented a report to him and he will go through it. Basavaraj Bommai on vaccination: Earlier, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had talked about the COVID third wave preparation and said the state will start at least five lakh COVID-19 vaccinations everyday from September one with the help of the Centre. “We did five lakh inoculations on a trial basis on Wednesday. Now we will start five lakh vaccinations daily from September 1,” Bommai said. To a question on COVID restrictions during the Gauri-Ganesha festival next month, he said such issues will be discussed at a meeting of COVID-19 experts on August 30. Source: The news has been published from India.com with a few edits by ArdorComm News Network.

Two months ago the medical device maker Philips had announced the recall of PhillipsContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), Bi-level positive airway pressure (Bi-Level PAP),and the mechanical ventilator devices. The state government of Tamil Nadu has asked thecompany to now either replace or rectify the problem that occurred in over 600 invasiveand non-invasiveventilators, which were being used in the Government Hospitals.Along with that, the] firm has also issued safety alerts to address the potential health riskthat include carcinogenic and toxic effects to have occurred while usage of these devices.The safety alerts were issued in June this year, which later initiated a recall notification aswell. The devices found problematic were responsible for pushing air in patients’ lungs, whoare suffering from obstructive pulmonary disease or sleep disorder, in such cases breathingintermittently stops. As per the notification issued by the firm, it was said that the foamused in these particular devices to reduce sound and vibration was found defective. Source: Healthworld.com

It hasn’t been long since the country came out of the ghastly second wave of the Coronavirus infections. A huge chunk of our population got infected with the virus with many succumbing to death. While COVID-19 cases are still on the rise, new variants like the Alpha and Delta strains have emerged with fresh concerns. There is fear among the people that the spread of the new variants of COVID-19 will cause a third wave in the country. Many fear the extent of help vaccination could extend. According to many research and predictions, the start of the third wave has already begun. Recent findings suggested by VK Paul, Head of the COVID task force, NITI Aayog, have hinted that India may see upto 6L cases a day in the coming months, and may possibly, be worrisome for the pediatric population. Similar mathematic models and research have hinted at a ghastly third wave if preparations aren’t put in place.  A number of epidemiologists and medical experts have hinted that the third wave could cause a rise in the number of daily COVID cases starting September and peak around the end of October or November.  Source: Times of India

It is being claimed that taking both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine can still be the best way of protection against delta virus variant. This test result was first identified in India and now inthe United Kingdom as well. Further studies show that the Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs, although less effective, but does offer the same level of protection as provided by Pfizer-BioNTech after four to five months, which was known in the largest study of its kind. But these vaccines are not as effective as they were against the Alpha variant, which caused most of the infection in the UK last winter. Although not much data is available for Moderna, researchersbelieve it is equally effective as the other vaccines.  The analysis for the effectiveness of these vaccines was done based on half-million test results from a total of 743,526 participants in the UK’s Covid-19 household infection survey led by Oxford University and the Office for National Statistics. As per the data received, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had 93% effectiveness against the Covid-19 infection symptoms, two weeks after taking the second dose, whereas Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine has its effectiveness up to 71%. Source: BBC News