Ramanisblog

Tag: Medicine

  • Understanding Your Health Check Up Results.

    Health Tests.
    Health Checkup.

    People when they do a Master Health Check up, are often stumped when trying to understand the results.

    Though the Doctor is the competent person to interpret the Data, it is in our interest to understand what the Health Check Results say.

    The reason is many Doctors often willingly misinterpret or distort facts , taking advantage of our ignorance and put you on medication, for which they are being compensated by the the Pharmaceutical Companies(Please read my post on Hoe Doctors have been paid by these companies, filed under ‘Health/Consumer information)

    This understanding of the Data gives you a chance to discuss your health issues with the Doctor, and as I have seen’ the Doctors are wary of people who seem to know, not necessarily know,some thing about the subject.

    Now to Health Check up Preparation.

    1,Fix an appointment for the Health Check Up, preferably in the morning, say around 8 pm.

    2.Take your last food (the day before the test) around 8 pm(12 hours should be allowed to test Fasting Sugar after taking Food)

    3.Do not take anything after the last food, save water.

    4.Have a sterilized bottle/container from the Hospital one day earlier to collect your Stools.

    5.In the morning, collect your first Stool.

    6.At the Hospital, test the Blood first. Pre- prandial for sugar

    7.Take a lot of water, not less than one liter.

    8.Ensure that your bladder is full and have the ECG and Ultra sound scan done.

    9.Have your eyes checked.

    10.Take normal breakfast and not the time.

    11 Between one and a half hour and two hours from the time of taking breakfast have your Sugar level tested,post -prandial.

    12.Give your urine Sample.

    The Reports should be ready in about three hours.

    Now understanding the Health Check Up Report.

    Parameters.

    a)Hematology.(about Blood) Male.

    Hemoglobin                                                                                              13-18gm%

    Total Count .                                                                                              4000-1000/cells/cu

    Neutrophils.                                                                                               40-75%

    Lymohocytes                                                                                              20-45%

    Eosionphils                                                                                                    0-8

    Monocytes                                                                                                     1-10%

    ESR(one Hour)                                                                                               5-15mm/hr.

    Platelet Count                                                                                                1.50-4.50 Lakhs/c

    RBC Count                                                                                                       4.50-6.50 Million/c

    PCV                                                                                                                    39-55%

    Read the note on Peripheral Smear,it can be understood if there is an anomaly.

    Bio Chemistry.                                                                                                           Parameters.

    Fasting Blood Sugar.                                                                                                  70-99mg/dl.

    Urine Sugar                                                                                                                    NIL.

    Serum Creatinine.                                                                                                       0 .50-1.40mg/dl.

    Uric Acid Male .                                                                                                             3.50-7.20mg/dl.

    Blood Urea Nitrogen.                                                                                                    5-21/mg/dl.

    Thyroid Profile.

    1. If your doctor ran a test called Total T4 or Total Thyroxine, normal range is approximately 4.5 to 12.5. If you had a low reading, and a high TSH, your doctor might consider that indicative of hypothyroidism.
    2. If your doctor ran a test called Total T4 or Total Thyroxine, normal range is approximately 4.5 to 12.5. If you had a low reading, and a low TSH, your doctor might look into a pituitary problem.
    3. If your doctor ran a test called Free T4, or Free Thyroxine, normal range is approximately 0.7 to 2.0. If your result was less than 0.7, your doctor might consider that indicative of hypothyroidism.
    4. If your doctor ran a test called Total T3, normal range is approximately 80 to 220. If your result was less than 80, your doctor might consider that indicative of hypothyroidism.
    5. If your doctor ran a test called Free T3, normal range is approximately 2.3 to 4.2. If your result was less than 2.3, your doctor might consider that indicative of hypothyroidism.
    6. If your test results are ‘normal’ but you have many symptoms or risk factors for thyroid disease, ask for an antibodies test. Some doctors treatg thyroid symptoms in the presence of elevated antibodies and normal TSH levels.

     

    Alkaline Phosphate.                                                                               120(IU/L.

    Cholesterol- Bio Chemistry.

    Parameters.

    Total Cholesterol.                                                                                    140-200mg/dl.

    Triglycerides .                                                                                             35-165 mg/dl.

    High Density Lipoprotein. HDL.                                                                30-63mg/dl.

    Low Density Lipoprotein LDL.                                                                    15-30mg/dl.

    Total Cholesterol. ‘According to the American Heart Association (AHA), you should keep your cholesterol ratio at or below 5:1. The ideal cholesterol ratio is about 3.5:1.”

    Stools Test check out the Link web MD .

    Ultra Sound, Heart,Lung X ray results have to be analysed by the Doctor.

    Liver Function Test.

    • ALT. 7 to 55 units per liter (U/L)
    • AST. 8 to 48 U/L
    • ALP. 45 to 115 U/L
    • Albumin. 3.5 to 5.0 grams per deciliter (g/dL)
    • Total protein. 6.3 to 7.9 g/dL
    • Bilirubin. 0.1 to 1.0 mg/dL
    • GGT. 9 to 48 U/L
    • LD. 122 to 222 U/L
    • PT. 9.5 to 13.8 second.
    • Urine Analysis.
    • Urine Test.
      Urine Test Analysis. Click on the individual urinalysis parameters (except for volume) in the image for information on the performance and meaning of the test..

       

    • Sources.
    • http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/ht/interpretresult.htm

    http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/finding-the-ideal-cholesterol-ratio?page=2

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/liver-function-tests/MY00093/DSECTION=results

    https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/clinpath/modules/ua-rout/ua-rout.htm

    Related Articles

  • Check Drug Authenticity By SMS

    Now it is easy to check the authenticity of the drug you have purchased from the Druggist.

    Apart from doing this, also check the expiry date on the label,composition, and for  Contra indications.(Reactions).

    The Procedure..

    Check Medicine Online for date of expiry
    Check Medicine Online

    Drug Authentication:

    This is very useful to everyone…..

    In India if at anytime you are worried that medicine is fake or counterfeit, you can test it by sending a  9/10 digit code as an SMS to 9901099010 and receive a reply back as to whether the drug is authentic.
 Whenever a unit of medicine is produced at the factory, it is labeled with a unique code provided by PharmaSecure. When you purchase a medicine you can send this code, which is printed on the package, to 9901099010 and receive an SMS, which tells you if the medicine is genuine and provides you with a batch number, expiration, and other drug information.

    This message is a fact. This drug authentication service to test medicine is provided by PharmaSecure, a global innovator in drug authentication technologies and software. It provides three ways to check the authentication of specific, quality drugs:

    1) Through their website portal www.VerifyMyMedicine.com, where you simply enter the authentication code printed on the drug package.

    2) Through your mobile phone by sending the authentication code as an SMS to 9901099010

    3) By calling +91 9901099010 and verifying your medicine over the phone via one of PharmaSecure’s agents.

    Powered by Pharma Secure, manufacturers send an authentication message to their consumers stating that their medicine is genuine, along with the batch number.

    Currently, Pharma Secure is working with ten of the leading companies in India to protect their brands with unique ID codes. Lupin and Unichem are among the companies that have started to implement the codes domestically, in the Indian market. However, more and more drugs are being coded by PharmaSecure. For more drug information on the medicines that PharmaSecure codes:
    e-mail info[@]pharmasecure.com.

    The unique code is generally either a 9 or 8 digit number, not 10 digit like it is mentioned in the message. This is indeed a very useful service to put a check on the quality of drugs and test the authenticity of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.

    References:
    Pharma Secure
    Online Drug Authentication Service

    http://www.hoaxorfact.com/Health/drug-authentication-check.html

    Lead Ack.Ram.

  • Designer Babies Come To Market. Better Option Possible

    Britain is planning to go ahead with the Thee Parent IVF for Fertility treatment.

    This would help parents with Mitochondrial Disorder in preventing the faulty Genes  responsible for this disorder from being passed on to the child.

    The other fall out is this would help make ‘Designer Babies,’, made to order.

    Though there are objections to this on ethical grounds, it is a welcome step for people misuse any anything if it suits them.

    The Process involved is as follows.

    Two eggs are created fertilized with Sperm, one from the Donor and another from the parents.

    Oocyte with surrounding granulosa cells
    Oocyte with surrounding granulosa cells

    Then an Embryo is created each from the Parent and another from the Donor.

    The pro-nuclei , which contain the genetic information, are removed from both Embryos, but only the parents are kept.

    A healthy embryo is created by adding the parents ‘ pro-nuclei  to the Donor Embryo, which is finally implanted in the womb.

    “The process of producing a three-parent baby involves taking the nucleus of one egg and inserting it into the cytoplasm of another egg which has had its nucleus removed, but still containsmitochondrial DNA, and then fertilizing the hybrid egg with a sperm. The purpose of the procedure is to remove a nucleus from a cell with defective mitochondria and place it in a donor cell with healthy mitochondria, which after fertilisation will contain a nucleus with genetic material from only the two parents.”( wiki)

    Would it not be better, if only one parent is suffering from the Mitochondrial Disorder,use the healthy parents’ Cell and go in for IVF?

    Or am I mistaken?

    Doctor friends may   respond.

    Story:

    .Naked' Human Egg.
    .Naked’ Human Egg.

    Parents at high risk of having children with severe disabilities such as muscular dystrophy will be offered the controversial new IVF treatment after it was given the green light by ministers today.

    It means the world’s first “three-parent baby” could be born in Britain by 2015, if detailed proposals for regulating the procedure pass a public consultation and are approved by Parliament next year.

    Up to 10 patients per year are expected to undergo the treatment, which involves replacing a fraction of the mother’s damaged DNA with that of a healthy donor.

    The process avoids the risk of the mother passing inherited defects, which can lead to a host of rare and debilitating conditions affecting the heart, muscles and brain, on to her children.

    The technique is controversial because it involves “germ line” modification of the embryo’s DNA, meaning the third party’s genetic material would not only be passed on to the child, but also to future generations down the female line.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10146226/Britain-could-create-first-three-parent-baby-through-IVF.html

     

    What is In Vitro Fertilization?

    In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process by which an egg is fertilised by sperm outside the body: in vitro. IVF is a major treatment for infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed. The process involves monitoring a woman’s ovulatory process, removing ovum or ova(egg or eggs) from the woman’s ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a fluid medium in a laboratory. When a woman’s natural cycle is monitored to collect a naturally selected ovum (egg) for fertilisation, it is known as natural cycle IVF. The fertilised egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient’suterus with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy. The first successful birth of a “test tube baby”, Louise Brown, occurred in 1978. Louise Brown was born as a result of natural cycle IVF. Robert G. Edwards, the physiologist who developed the treatment, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2010.

    The term in vitro, from the Latin meaning in glass, is used, because early biological experiments involving cultivation of tissues outside the living organism from which they came, were carried out in glass containers such as beakers, test tubes, or petri dishes. Today, the term in vitro is used to refer to any biological procedure that is performed outside the organism it would normally be occurring in, to distinguish it from an in vivo procedure, where the tissue remains inside the living organism within which it is normally found. A colloquial term for babies conceived as the result of IVF, “test tube babies”, refers to the tube-shaped containers of glass or plastic resin, called test tubes, that are commonly used in chemistry labs and biology labs. However, in vitro fertilisation is usually performed in the shallower containers called Petri dishes. One IVF method, Autologous Endometrial Coculture, is actually performed on organic material, but is still considered in vitro.

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilisation

     

  • Drug Companies Paid Doctors To Prescribe Lists

    It is known hat Doctors resort to unethical practices.

    I have posted how a Doctor forced a patient to undergo operations to complete the target and the patient turning up Dead!

    Under Health, I have also listed various unethical practices by the Doctors , Hospitals.

    ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Our work focuses exclusively on truly important stories, stories with “moral force.” We do this by producing journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them.

    Following is an excerpt from their investigations.

    The next time your doctor prescribes a medicine, recall this and check if the medicine is really needed and will help you.

    Money paid by Drug Companies to Doctors.
    Drug Companies Paid Doctors.

    “When Dollars for Docs first launched in 2010, ProPublica spoke with several of the dozens of doctors who had earned more than $200,000 from their speaking and consulting work for drug companies. Now, with records from more companies and more years of data, we’ve identified 22 doctors who’ve earned at least $500,000 since 2009 — including one, Jon Draud, who was paid more than $1 million.”

    The totals listed here cover different time periods and spending categeories, and aren’t directly comparable. See notes below. See what each company discloses »

    Company Total Disclosed
    AbbVie
    Disclosed: July to Sept. 2012    		 $6.9M
    Allergan
    Disclosed: July 2011 to Sept. 2012    		 Ranges*
    AstraZeneca
    Disclosed: Jan. 2010 to Sept. 2012    		 $236.1M
    Cephalon
    Disclosed: Jan. 2009 to Dec. 2012    		 $89.7M
    Eli Lilly
    Disclosed: Jan. 2009 to June 2012    		 $490.6M
    EMD Serono
    Disclosed: Jan. 2011 to Sept. 2012    		 $4M
    Forest
    Disclosed: Jan. to Sept. 2012    		 $60.8M
    GlaxoSmithKline
    Disclosed: April 2009 to Sept. 2012    		 $238.6M
    Johnson & Johnson
    Disclosed: Jan. 2010 to Sept. 2012    		 $54.6M
    Merck
    Disclosed: July 2009 to Sept. 2012    		 $224.3M
    Novartis
    Disclosed: Oct. 2010 to Sept. 2012    		 $54.2M
    Pfizer
    Disclosed: July 2009 to Sept. 2012    		 $538.2M
    UCB
    Disclosed: Jan. to Sept., 2012    		 $7.2M

    Source:

    http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

  • Cancer Drugs Combinations Prices

    Cost of Cancer Drugs are sky rocketing.

     

    Drug Companies arbitrarily fix rates and when an indigenous manufacturer is ready to supply at a fraction of the cost, these Drug companies hide behind patents.

     

    A sample.

    ”

    India‘s patent appeals office has rejected Bayer AG‘s plea to stop the production of a cheaper generic version of a patented cancer drug in a ruling that health groups say is an important precedent for getting inexpensive lifesaving medicines to the poor.

    Last year, India’s patent office allowed local drug manufacturer Natco Pharma Ltd. to produce a generic version of Bayer’s kidney and liver cancer drug Nexavar on the grounds it would make the drug available to the public at a reasonably affordable price. It was the first use of compulsory licensing under Indian patent laws passed in 2005.

    The Intellectual Property Appellate Board rejected the German drug maker’s appeal of the 2012 ruling on Monday. It also ruled that under the license Natco must pay 7 per cent in royalties on net sales to Bayer.

    Bayer sells a one month supply of the drug for about $5,600. Natco’s version would cost Indian patients $175 a month, less than 1/30th as much.

    Western pharmaceutical companies have been pushing for stronger patent protections in India to regulate the country’s $26 billion US generics industry, which they say frequently flouts intellectual property rights. However, health activists and aid groups counter that Indian generics are a lifesaver for patients in poor countries who cannot afford Western prices to treat diseases such as cancer, malaria and HIV.

    Bayer said Tuesday it “strongly” disagreed with the appeal panel’s decision and would pursue the case in the high court in India’s commercial capital Mumbai

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/03/05/india-bayer-patent-dispute.html

    ”

    A: Medicines produced by generic companies in India are among the cheapest in the world. That is because, until 2005, India did not grant patents on medicines. India is one of the few developing countries with production capacity to manufacture quality-assured generic medicines.

    By producing cheaper generic versions of medicines that were patented in other countries, India became a key source of affordable medicines, such as antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) to treat HIV and AIDS. Eighty percent of the medicines MSF uses to treat 170,000 people living with HIV in its projects today are sourced from Indian generic drug companies, and over 80 percent of all HIV and AIDS medicines bought by donors also come from India. In the case of treatment for pediatric AIDS, Indian generic producers supply over 90 percent of medicines used in developing countries. This is why India is known as the “pharmacy of the developing world.”

    Q: What is the relationship between patents and affordable medicines?

    A: When a pharmaceutical company has a patent in a country, it means it has a monopoly in that country for a certain amount of time. This means it can prevent other companies from producing, selling, or importing the medicine in that country for the duration of the patent term, which, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, is a minimum of 20 years. This in turn allows companies to charge high prices because there are no competitors in the market.

    In the absence of patents, multiple generic producers produce medicines, further driving the price down. Competition among different producers is the tried and tested way to bring prices down. Competition among generic manufacturers is what helped bring the cost of HIV and AIDS treatment down from over US$10,000 per patient per year in 2000 to $150 today. The absence of patents in India has also helped in the development of three-in-one HIV/AIDS medicines called fixed-dose combination pills, and formulations for children.

    Q: Aren’t patents needed to stimulate innovation for new drugs by pharmaceutical companies?

    A: An increasing number of studies have shown that while patent protection has increased over the last 20 years, the innovation rate has been falling, with an increase in the number of “me-too” drugs of little or no therapeutic gain. This undermines the case that is often made by the pharmaceutical industry that more patent protection would result in more investment in medical innovations.

    A study published in 2005 concluded that 68 percent of the 3,096 new products approved in France between 1981 and 2004 brought “nothing new” over previously available preparations. Similarly, the British Medical Journal published a study rating barely 5 percent of all newly patented drugs in Canada as “breakthrough.” And a breakdown of over 1,000 new drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration between 1989 and 2000 revealed that over three quarters have no therapeutic benefit over existing products.

    In addition, the 2006 report of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Intellectual Property, Innovation, and Public Health also found that there was no evidence that the implementation of WTO rules on patents in developing countries significantly boosts research and development in pharmaceuticals for diseases affecting developing countries.

    Q: Does India not grant patents on medicines at all?

    A: As a WTO member, India has to comply with trade rules set by the WTO. One of these is the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS, which obliges WTO member countries to grant patents on pharmaceuticals. To comply with this international obligation, India amended its patent law in 2005 and started to grant patents on medicines. As a result, when patents are granted in the country, Indian generic manufacturers are not able to produce cheaper generic versions of these medicines.”

    http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/article.cfm?id=5769&cat=briefing-documents

    I have a friend in Bangalore whose close relative is a distributor for Cancer drugs.

    He sells a medicine at Rs 8000 to Patients ans he makes a profit of 22% if he sells it Rs.1800!

    next time your Doctor recommends you a Cancr Drug, as him show  the combination, check the information at the Link below and confront him to prescribe an an equivalent Indian Drug or ask him to give you details of other drugs available in the market.

    Please remember these Drugs will not arrest Cancer immediately and you have some time to buy them.

    Cancer Drugs.
    Cancer Drugs.

    ‘

    This list includes more than 100 cancer drug information summaries from NCI. The summaries provide consumer-friendly information about cancer drugs and drug combinations.

    Summaries for individual cancer drugs cover the uses of these drugs, research results, possible side effects, approval information, and ongoing clinical trials. The list includes brand and generic names for the drugs.

    Summaries for cancer drug combinations are listed by abbreviation or common name and are shown in capital letters. Each summary gives a list of the drugs that make up the combination and explains what the combination is used for. It also has links to summaries for individual drugs in the combination.

    http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/druginfo/alphalist