Hyuma Mahadevia shares his life journey of becoming a certified IRONMAN Coach, how he became marathoner and triathlete who has completed two IRONMAN races. Touching upon health elements and shares his fitness routine, giving insights about sports.
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Committee: Health & Wellness
Promoting physical and mental well-being to function at optimum level and share relevant content curated by reputed Dieticians, Nutritionists, Trainers, Mental Health experts and Doctors around the world.
73 Questions with Deepak Gupta
Deepak Gupta, the founder & MD of Eden Retirement Homes, introduces the true meaning of Luxury Retirement Homes through a series of snappy questions shot to him and that also takes a peek into the successes, challenges, and all things that celebrate his life.
Decoding the true meaning of Holistic Wellness
The world is gearing towards wellness, the alternative medicine to stay fit and healthy. In this DLC TALK Deepak Gupta, the founder of a new concept, Eden retirement living takes us through the concept of luxury retirement living, an offshoot of wellness retreat packed with a host of wellness programmes — Ayurveda, naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, spiritual healing, dietetic treatment, healthy culinary tips, and that undefinable quality of life that can make a wellness retreat feel like home.
Pulmonologists to the rescue: how we curbed a pandemic with specializations
When the pandemic had just begun the world was scared and confined to their houses. In these trying times the medical fraternity rose to the occasion to protect mankind. As it got clearer that Covid was primarily affecting lungs and the respiratory system the Pulmonologist fraternity got into immediate action and worked tirelessly to save as many lives as possible. Those long hours in PPE kits and in masks were physically and mentally tiring and overwhelming. Patients and families needed to be guided and emotionally supported to tide over this dreaded disease. The day will forever be etched in my memory when Mumbai’s first Covid affected patient was admitted at Wockhardt Hospital under my care. On one hand I was working around the clock while on the other hand I felt ostracised as everyone in and around my housing society would look at me with fear and stay away from me.
In hindsight it really troubled me that people were avoiding me because of my professional commitments required in these challenging times. Instead of being empathetic and appreciative they feared I would infect them. It was a paradox that the very people I was trying to protect felt threatened by me.
In midst of this my first Covid affected patient recovered and his recovery journey was widely covered by the media. He applauded us for our selfless service. Once news came out people’s perspectives started changing. Doctors were put on pedestals long after this initial phase of doubt.
It was a tough job to get into fighting mode everyday with the number of cases spiralling. The concern of my elderly parents and a young child at home and that I could infect my family kept me anxious throughout. I did not let this self-doubt win over my duty as a Doctor.
In the first wave we did not have many treatment options nor vaccine/medicine availability to steady a worsening situation. Being a Pulmonologist and an expert in managing such cases, we worked and brainstormed continuously to adjust treatment settings to get a positive outcome to help recover as many affected individuals as possible. Families of affected patients put our trust in us blindly, and that is a huge responsibility.
Like I said the first phase was ripe with lack of knowledge and scarcity of resources. In such a dire situation we had to make do with whatever was available. We came up with many innovations like double tube from the same ventilator for two patients to optimally use one single ventilator, makeshift portable ventilators during acute ventilator shortage and other ideas to continue treatment on as many patients as possible. We did not want to refuse treating any patient who came to us. Except the medical bit there are lot of other aspects that go overlooked but require a lot of effort and energy to get done. We pledged that no patient would suffer due to Covid admission protocol for admission and hence we went out of the way to make special protocols to facilitate admission and care. Several hundreds of people who were unable to find beds in hospitals reached out to us. We accommodated as many as we could. Parallely consulted thousands of sick patients who did not need hospitalization but required home quarantine and treatment consumed whatever was left of our day/night. This went on for more than a year.
We were better equipped by the time the second wave hit us as we had concrete research and new drug options. We read up all available published data and studies post our work timings to be able to offer better treatment.
Remdesivir, Favipiravir, Molnupiravir, plasma transfusion, steroids, blood thinners, antibody cocktail, HCQ, Azithromycin, doxycycline and host of other drugs claimed to be effective but needed to be monitored and prescribed cautiously.
Post the second wave came the most crucial part of the Covid journey. Once the vaccines arrived all Doctors took them without much safety data available or guaranteed protection so that people would be convinced about their safety and willingly accept them. We read about it and educated the masses about the same. We were equal partners in the Government’s initiative to educate and convince people about the benefit of being vaccinated.
As the fear of Covid still lurks and as cases again seem to be rising in some parts of the world our job here is not done yet. This pandemic has taught and toughened us to face any adversities that come in the near future. As a proud Pulmonologist I am grateful that I was able to uphold my medical oath and help my patients in the most humane way possible.
Digital Twins: The Trident for Modern Healthcare
Dr. Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes guides the members through her deadly modern podcast covering the sophisticated concept of digital twins and its role in the healthcare industry.
What most people don’t understand about chemotherapy
When your oncologist says you need chemotherapy, your dreams may be filled with ambiguous thoughts which may not be actually realistic of what’s involved in chemotherapy sessions. Many of us picture ourselves with IV drip in a hospital bed with a lot many emotions. The realistic thinking is, that there are many ways to get chemotherapy starting from skin cream to the IV drip. Side effects are purely dependant on individuals defence systems which may not be similar for everyone.
Here are some mind-blowing facts about chemotherapy which might surprise you to preparing for a chemotherapy session
- No overnight stay in hospital- Chemotherapy can be given as a daycare procedure at the hospital, office, home etc., which depends upon factors like the type of cancer and type of chemotherapy to be planned, any previous chemotherapy sessions, and any health-related problems.
- Tablets or skin creams- Your oncologist can prescribe chemotherapy in the form of tablets which can be swallowed, dosage depends from daily to weekly once and in form of skin creams which can be rubbed on the skin.
- Kill hidden cancer cells in the blood- Your oncologist may prescribe chemotherapy not only to shrink the tumour before surgery but also to kill the hidden cancer cells which may be in the blood after the surgery is performed to remove the tumour.
- Can perform all daily activities – Chemotherapy isn’t debilitating as you expect. Always have a flexible schedule of chemotherapy sessions to adjust your office timings. Working remotely from home or hospital is always kept as a last option when you don’t feel good after the chemotherapy session.
- Varied side effects- Some patients don’t have any side effects and not every patient has similar ones. Side effects may vary ranging from fatigue to hair loss. You need to talk to your oncologist about the expected side effects though it’s hard to predict which symptoms you will have.
- Side effects lasting for months or years- There can be side effects which may last for years like infertility, kidney problems, nerve damage and chances of getting second cancer.
- Dietary and Lifestyle changes- Eat lots of protein and calorie-rich food whenever you are able to eat. Your appetite may be highest in the morning, so that can be a good time to get in a bigger meal. If solid foods aren’t appealing, try semi-solid, liquid meal replacements for extra calories like fresh fruit juice, soup, or milk. Eat smaller meals five or six times a day instead of three larger ones. This can help keep you from feeling too full.
- Chemotherapy can be used to treat other conditions – Other conditions like bone marrow disease can be treated by chemotherapy.
- Visit your Dentist before the chemotherapy – Chemotherapy not only kills cancer cells but also kills normal cells in your immune system which in turn raises the chances of infections during chemotherapy sessions. To stay away from infections, kindly check whether you have taken flu shots before chemotherapy. Visit your dentist to make sure your oral cavity is clean and oral hygiene is maintained. Wash your hands often and stay away from sick people and pets.
- General Medications can interfere with chemotherapy – Over the counter medications and vitamin, capsules can interfere with chemotherapy sessions. We generally think vitamins are safe to improve the health but high doses of Vitamin A, C and E can interfere with chemotherapy. Consult your oncologist to take any medications.
Plant-based Food – Raising the bar of Sustainability
Importance of digital ethics in precision health
Health
Global Market
The Precision Medicine market is estimated to grow at impressive rates over the next decade. According to a recent report published by Marketwatch the precision medicine market value is estimated at $140.69B and is expected to grow at an 11.5% CAGR by 2030.
Definition
Precision medicine and precision health are relatively novel approaches that aim to redefine the way we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. It has also evolved at an exponential pace over the last few years and fueled the development of a personalized care approach. This growth has been powered by several complex factors. Some of the main ones are advances in technology, an increasingly aging population with a higher incidence of cancers, increased use of big data, as well as scientific knowledge derived from panomics.
Panomics is currently considered one of the major drivers of innovation in healthcare and encompasses genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, etc.
Genomics is one of the most significant precision medicine drivers and is considered by many experts as the one with the most disruptive potential in healthcare. The cost for next-generation sequencing techniques has decreased from $100,000 to less than $500 over the last decade, while speed and accuracy have increased. Next-generation sequencing has already become a paradigm-changing solution in our quest to move from an industry based on “sick care” toward a preventive, wellness-focused approach.
We now witness a comprehensive emphasis on all domains within precision health, which encompass wellness, longevity, disease monitoring, disease prevention, disease diagnosis, acute disease treatment, chronic disease management, etc.
The Power of Converging Technologies
The current digital era is marked by a complex array of technologies and novel ones being developed at an astonishing pace. Regardless of the source reviewed, some technologies are consistently high-ranked and considered to have high disruptive potential in the current healthcare industry such as Genomics, AI, Blockchain, Robotics, 3D, AR, VR, XR, Bio-Implants, Nanotechnology, Brain-Computer Interfaces, Bio-Implants, and others.
When evaluating each one of these, it is important to consider multiple complex factors such as privacy, security, scalability, cost, safety, and more importantly their impact on population health. The combined deployment of these novel technologies has an augmenting effect and can accelerate our research and development efforts, while at the same time triggering heightened ethics concerns.
The Need for Digital Ethics
We have a moral obligation to ensure privacy, greater transparency, enhanced security, improved traceability, increased efficiency, and exploitability.
Leveraging the full capabilities of all novel technologies in precision health could also serve as the foundation for developing global databases and data exchanges that could spark further preclinical, clinical and translational research, and act as a driver for continuously optimizing population health. However, those can also further increase the complexity of governance, regulatory and legal guidelines that must be drafted by key decision-makers.
To be successful we will have to achieve a larger collaboration and cooperation among all relevant stakeholders, revise our outdated laws and regulatory guidelines to match the latest scientific and technological advances, as well as solve some of the remaining barriers to large-scale technology deployments in healthcare.
Ethics has been a very important discipline for centuries. After decades of marginalization, we are witnessing a resurgence within the scientific and business community due to the complex ethical issues we are facing due to a high degree of automation and augmented intelligence infused in our daily activities, as well as the global business ecosystem. The scientific and business communities, and numerous not-for-profit- and government agencies are all appropriately concerned about ethical issues unique to a digital healthcare ecosystem, with topics like algorithmic bias, social determinants discrimination, data privacy, data ownership, AI transparency, and trust making the headlines daily.
Reactive or mitigation approaches are not an optimal solution and one would hope that ethical leadership in this era of digital healthcare will be defined by state-of-the-art strategic planning, complemented by a revision of our medical education system and a profound transformation of our current healthcare delivery system.
Building a Culture of Ethics
The digital era has changed how our society establishes and verifies trust. Healthcare organizations can create digital trust by designing and implementing comprehensive digital ethics programs and building a lasting culture of digital ethics.
In the post-pandemic era, digital health has become a strong driver of the global economy, however, it is also plagued by a significant trust gap. Only by collaborating towards creating a more responsible data governance framework globally can we achieve sustainable societal trust in tech-driven healthcare models such as virtual, digital, or precision health.
Given the prominent role, genomics plays in precision medicine and the devastating impact privacy breaches can have on our society, there is an opportunity for these precision health leaders to establish themselves as leaders in the digital ethics ecosystem. They can drive the creation and enforce adherence to global digital ethics standards, best practices, and customized digital ethics KPIs.
Forward-looking companies will need to embrace a greater sense of purpose with emphasis on population health, personalized care, and human-centric design for patients and providers will ensure long-term success. C-Suite leaders need to adapt and transform their organizations from an ROI-centered mission to meet the needs of this dynamic healthcare ecosystem. Their strategic mindset has to shift from “ sick-care” to “ well care” and they will have to be purposefully disruptive to maintain their competitive advantage.
Future Directions
The precision health and digital health ecosystems are intertwined and will facilitate the transition towards a personalized care approach to optimize global population health.
Future generations will likely benefit from digital health twins, smart hospitals, smart pharmacies, smart laboratories, and smart imaging centers, however, they will also expect an ethically-driven global precision health ecosystem.
The future of precision health will likely be influenced by building and maintaining a state-of-the-art culture of ethics that would be continuously optimized to adapt to the demands of an exponential medicine era, such as ultra-rapid advancements and deployments of new technologies or a constant influx of disruptors entering the global healthcare ecosystem.