Ramanisblog

Category: Health

  • 2870 Clinical Trial Deaths 12 000 Adverse Events India

    India, along with the African and some impoverished Latin American and Central American Countries leads the list of clinical deaths due to the drug trials.

     

    These are the official figures.

    Clinical Trial Deaths India.jpg
    Clinical Trial Deaths India .

     

    I doubt whether this constitutes even 10 % of the actual deaths.

     

    One has to take into account that many drug trials are conducted in India on the sly., with the active connivance of doctors and Pharmacists.

     

    ”

    More than 2,500 Indians have died in the course of clinical trials in recent years, government figures reveal.

    According to an affidavit filed by the health ministry in the Supreme Court in response to a petition by health NGOs, there were 80 deaths due to clinical trials between January 2005 and June 2012. Between July 2012-August 2013 nine more such reported deaths occurred, making this total 89, according to the petitioner Swasthya Adhikar Manch (SAM), a health rights forum. Compensation was paid in 82 cases.

    The ministry also admitted that 2,644 people died during clinical trials of 475 new drugs from 2005 to 2012.

    SAM challenges this number of 80 deaths said to have been caused by clinical trials – among the rest who are said only to have died during the course of the trials and not as a result of the trials.

    “No standard protocol was followed, there were no post-mortems; so how can they arrive at this figure?” Amulya Nidhi of SAM told IPS. Compensation is paid only if a death was said to have been caused by the clinical trial.

     

    Government documents also say that around 11,972 “serious adverse events” (excluding death) were reported from Jan. 1, 2005 to Jun. 30, 2012, of which 506 were said to have been caused by clinical trials.

    These figures have raised new opposition to the prevailing practices for conducting clinical trials.

    India has become a hub of clinical trials for drugs over the last few years, mostly by pharmaceutical companies from abroad. Allegations of short-changing participants and of unethical practices have been rampant.

    Responding to growing concerns by health activists, the ministry of health and family welfare set up a six-member expert panel under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CIDSCO) in February this year. The panel has recommended that these trials should only be carried out in accredited centres.

    “ Despite clinical trials coming under scrutiny in various courts, little has changed on the ground. At least 370 deaths have been reported during clinical trials in India since February 2013, but compensation has been paid in only 21 cases, according to government data. The amount ranged from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 40 lakh, a senior official told TOI. “

     

    Citation.

    http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/11/over-2500-deaths-during-indian-clinical-trials/

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/370-die-in-clinical-trials-in-2-years-kin-of-only-21-get-compensation/articleshow/45516891.cms

    Image credit.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2097386/Supreme-Court-clamps-illegal-unethical-clinical-trials-exploit-children-mentally-ill.html

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  • In Vitro Fertilization IVF Malpractices

    Child birth in an area which is proving to be lucrative for Doctors.

     

    You are asked to have a check up monthly from the 45th day .

     

    Scan is recommended at least twice.

     

    Infertility Causes.gif
    Causes for Infertility

     

    You are advised to undergo Natural delivery.

     

    But the message is delivered skilfully to make you go in for Caesarian.

     

    What has been normal  about  50 years ago has become a cause for tension while Doctors pay lip service to Natural delivery.

    You are advised to take all sorts of Pills, especially Iron and calcium.

     

    Nobody tells you that excess consumption of Iron gets thrown out and excess Calcium weakens the bones.

     

    Simple procedure is to take natural foods like Greens,Dates, Pomegranate .

     

    You would be surprised at the Doctor advising you of ‘ some concern  about the Baby’ as your delivery date nears;he would skilfully manipulate you for Caesarian.

     

    This post is about malpractices in Infertility treatment, but I could not resist about mentioning what is being practiced for normal pregnancy.

     

    Today a Normal delivery costs anywhere between  25, 000 to Rupees one lakh!

     

    Now to Malpractices in Infertility treatment.

     

    1.

    is only required when there is no uterus and donor eggs are required when the ovaries have either stopped functioning or have been removed. But, as both these procedures add to the costs, doctors recommend them even when they are not necessary. For example, a woman may need just one prescription of drugs for

    Rs 1,500, but she is sold surrogacy for lakhs of rupees. This kind of prognosis plays on the stigma associated with an infertile woman.

     

    2.Secondly, infertility doctors often do not have adequate training in the hardware and software required for ivf. There are no checks and balances such as accreditation. In India, any mbbs graduate can do it without any training. Thus, any doctor can open an infertility clinic.

    3.Thirdly, malpractices are encouraged by kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies. If a doctor prescribes hormones costing between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5 lakh in one cycle, he gets up to 60 percent of that amount from the pharma company. A doctor makes money by prescribing drugs to patients. That is why they often prescribe over-dosages. The child may never be born, but the doctor will make money. A drug company promotes hormone injections like toothpaste or any other non-medical product. The more a drug is prescribed, the more profitable it is for both the company and the doctors.’

     

    The issue becomes even more complicated when the Patient Googles, finds some results, gets  confused and forces the doctor to prescribe and procedures even more.

     

    Be careful in choosing a doctor who is not greedy and who cares for patients.

     

    There are many around still.

     

    Mind you there are not costly .

     

    Please avoid specialty Hospitals, especially the Five Star Hotels, sorry Hospitals.

     

    Citations.

    http://www.tehelka.com/unethical-behaviour-medical-malpractices-in-infertility-treatment-surrogacy-in-india/

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  • Dangers Of Google Search Health Conditions

    Recently I came across two instances where Google search becomes dangerous.

     

    In one instance, a Girl of about, settled in the US, was eating Dumpling in a Restaurant with her colleagues.

     

    The dish was quite hot.

     

    TMJ jpeg
    TMJ condition

     

    While engaged in conversation with her friends, shed did not notice it was hot and popped it her mouth.

     

    It was so hot that as a reflex action swallowed it instead of spitting it out.

     

    The piece got stuck in her throat, she could not speak,swallow, her face turned bluish and she could not breathe.

     

    People around her did not notice it, but some one near by noticed it and gave her a slap in her back and she swallowed it.

     

    Otherwise she would have choked herself to death.

     

    Air Marshall Mukherjee of Indian Air force died this way aboard an aircraft this way.

     

    But this post is not about the dangers of eating with out some basic precautions, while engaged in conversation.

     

    ( Hinduism forbids speech/conversion while eating).

     

    The girl being educated a web addict searched Google for her condition, symptoms.

     

    She found a lot of cases where the writers have expressed their problems of not being able to touch food for months because of Fear.

     

    The girl got scared and abstained from eating for a week, when some one told her harshly to eat and ate normally.

     

    In another instance, a girl searched Google for pain in the cheek, Jaws and got landed with people writing about symptoms of TMJ, where some one has written that  she has the condition for twenty years, in incurable pain and had been under Streiod(?) medication , which has complicated the issues by adding Insomnia to the list.

     

    And this girl has started doing the rounds with the doctors , starting from Dentist,ENT specialist, Neurologist,Neurosurgeon and took FBC ( Full Blood Count) Test,urine Culture, Sputum and Stools.

     

    All the parameters were normal.

     

    The girl started imagining she has some disease hat would stay with her for Life and she would lose her sanity!

     

    She did not sleep for two days, not more than 5 Hours a day.

     

    She now imagines she has Insomnia and wanted to meet with a Psychiatric Counselor.

     

    Having studied Psychology and known what this is about I forbid her.

     

    I scolded her very rudely , counseled her and she is alright now.

     

    Lessons.

     

    1.Medicine is an evolving Science, if not exact.

     

    Doctors proceed from Symptoms to disease and not the other way around.

     

    One symptom may be indicative of any disease, some of them serious, some worth ignoring.

     

    By trial and error or experience or both, Doctors diagnose.

     

    It is foolish to replace a Doctor with Internet search.

     

    Still worse is to reading fro among the first twenty or so results in Google search.

     

    I find people normally taking the first two or three results of Google search as Gospel.

     

    Nothing can be more wrong.

     

    Authentic information need not appear in the first results.

     

    The first page search results are determined not by so much by the  correctness of the information  but by keywords, the search term used, and then the number of times the article has been read.

     

    If the initial query has been incorrect, the site has used the correct key words though wrong information, the results will appear in the first twenty results.

     

    Therefore the first results in Google search need not be correct.

     

    Again unless you know the fundamentals of medicine do not read internet, whatever the site says it is.

     

    And remember our Body is the best system in the world to rectify itself.

     

    Do not brood over illnesses, consult a Doctor , have faith in him and follow his advice.

     

    Take tie in finding out a general physician who does not prescribe you medicine at the drop of a hat, or who sends you for a lot of tests even for a small thing.

     

    And stick with him.

     

    Such a doctor need not be expensive.

     

    I go to a doctor who is at least 50 years old, who checks me up physically, allows my body to heal without resorting to heavy dosage and one who is cal and not in a hurry.

     

     

     

     

     

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  • Cold Fever Stomach Illness in Children Safe Sure Remedies

    I have four grand children from 90 days to six years .

     

    I have found that even for a slight indisposition of the children, they tend to rush immediately to Pediatrician  and the funniest part is that the child has to get an appointment, some time after seven or eight hours of the illness being reported,

     

    The problem with infants , children is that some times the child,infant can not be left unattended for illness for such long periods, especially if they have high fever or diarrhea.

     

    Child with Cold.jpg
    Child with Cold.

     

    Immediate action has to be taken.

     

    The Allopathy system treats symptoms and most of the medicines, including the anti biotics have guaranteed side effects, while the cure is not assured.

     

    For cough, medicine is prescribed to  suppress cough and anti biotics which are heavy are prescribed.

     

    While the former gives one feeling of the illness is cured, the latter leaves problems, at least in respect of bowel movements.

     

    Sere the Siddha medicine solves the problem.

     

    These medicines do not have any side effects , they  are natural foods and are available at  Indian Homes.

     

    For Colic(Stomach ache), Constipation.

     

    Give a cup of warm milk before bedtime with one teaspoon of ghee added to it.

    Provide a natural laxative foods such as soaked raisins or dates, honey, bran, sesame seeds, mango, papaya, grapes, and fresh figs.

    Inculcate proper eating habits and food combining when possible, sufficient water intake, high quality oils, and providing plenty of high fiber foods can be helpful in the prevention of constipation.

    In the case of infants, the mother can apply a small amount of castor oil to her nipple before breastfeeding.

    For babies with intestinal colic, mix equal parts of Cumin, Fennel, and Coriander powder and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of this mixture to a cup of hot water, let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain well.

    The mother can also drink it to reduce the qualities of vata in her breast milk.

    In the case of infants, it is useful to administer the tea with a baby medicine dropper, available in most baby supply sections, and dilute it a little, if needed, to make it more palatable

     

    For Colds, Fever.

    Cold.

    Yashtimadhu (Licorice root) and a little raw honey it helps liquefy and expectorate phlegm.

     

    Make a Paste of the root, about half a teaspoon, ix it with Honey and give the child, till the cough subsides.

     

    Or take a Nutmeg, Jathikkai, make a paste, small quantity of paste, by rubbing it out with a little quantity of water.apply this mixture on both the sides of the nose.

     

    Running nose will stop immediately.

     

    For chest congestion or restricted breathing.

    Warm  sesame oil, or ghee with a pinch of rock or black salt, can be massaged onto the chest followed by a eucalyptus steam inhalation. Tulsi (Holy basil) works wonders for soothing coughs, decongesting the lungs and sinuses, as well as lowering a fever by promoting sweating. Tulsi tea can be prepared by adding1 teaspoon of Tulsi powder to 1 cup of hot water. This can also be given before bedtime to break a fever when nothing else works.

     

    Fever.

    A remarkable home remedy for lowering fever consists in rubbing fresh onion juice to the child’s navel region while applying a cool cloth to the forehead to protect the brain.

     

    One can apply a paste made of turmeric powder and war gingelly oil on the forehead.

     

    For Rashes,including Diaper rashes.

     

    One of the best remedies for this is to add 1 to 2 teaspoons of Kumari (Aloe vera) juice into the baby’s drinking water.

     

    For Deworming and clearing Parasites.

     

    A simple household remedy for worms like thread, pin, and round worms, is to take 3 to 5 drops of fresh onion juice diluted in one teaspoon of water 3 times daily.

     

    Two or three tender leaves of Neem tree may be made and given to the child, either directly or with warm water.

     

     

     

     

     

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  • Infant Infections Death Balarishta Karuka Homa

    Infants upto the age of five years suffer from a lot of unspecified infections, diseases,disorders and many die.

     

    Most of the medicines prescribed for Infants are only supportive in nature and a cure.

     

    Karuka Homa.png

     

    And modern Medicine has a name if the reason for the disease is not known.

     

    Allergy!

     

    The medicine that is prescribed for Allergies are some times allergic themselves!..

     

    When I was young I used to fall sick frequently and medicines were of no avail.

     

    I heard from my parents that they used to perform Ayush Homa, on the day of my birth star , till my fifth year.

     

    I have been cured of the frequent diseases, my parents used to say.

     

    As an aside, Hindus do not celebrate Birth days,possibly because one year gone is that much nearer to death!

     

    However Sastras say that Ayush Homa is to be performed for the child till it completes five years.

     

    This is prevent Infant Mortality  and to ward of infections and unknown diseases.

     

    There is also Balarishta.

     

    Balarishta is the Sanskrit word that means infant mortality, but astrologically it actually indicates a Dosha, a misfortune more in terms of ill-health during infancy and childhood than of any other kind of adversity that can strike a person at that age. Therefore, it is an affliction in the Natal Chart or Query Chart, an ava-yoga (evil yoga), which need not necessarily indicate early death, for death occurs only if the planetary infliction is severe and there are no other yogas indicating a longer term of life counter – acting Balarishta Dosha.[2] In Astrology the most difficult task is the determination of one’s age i.e. span of life, time of death and Balarishta.

     

    Whether one believes in Astrology or not, every one wants the Infant to be healthy and safe from Diseases.

     

    One does not lose anything by performing certain Poojas to ward off this..

     

    Karuka(Cyndon dactylon),அருகம்புல் Homa may be performed at Guruvayoor Krishna temple.

     

    Visit the Link for details.

    http://www.guruvayuronline.com/index.php/astrology/337-homam

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