Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK A skin abscess is a ‘bump’ within, or below, the skin’s surface. It is typically filled with pus, also painful, thick and swollen. Most abscesses are caused by bacterial infection. A skin abscess may appear on any part of your body. It is akin to a pimple, but characteristically larger

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Urinary tract infections [UTI] are common and prevalent in all age groups, across the country. They are also common worldwide. UTI is one of the most common conditions that we encounter in clinical practice too. For some patients, it is also a recurrent issue. The presenting symptoms of UTI are

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Aging is a natural phenomenon. Add to this the decline in the production of oestrogen and progesterone — hormones  vital for sexual and reproductive development — in women, in their late-40s, or early-50s, and you’d know why they attain menopause, or the cessation of menses — monthly periods, in common

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Our gut microbiome — as is now well-known — holds the key to maintenance of health and well-being. The metabolic functions of the gut are termed as agni [digestive fire], in Ayurveda. This is as simple as it gets. The benefit of having a good agni is responsible to giving

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Allergy is a famed word — it conforms to a clear, unexpected reaction of the body to any substance that may, otherwise, be harmless. What happens in allergic reactions? Our immune system identifies certain substances as allergens and produces antibodies, which now go into action to destroy them and, in

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Knee joint pain, or what may clinically be diagnosed as osteoarthritis [OA], is a common disorder — majorly in the older age group, as well as young, also middle-age, adults. The causes may be direct, such as injury to the knee, degenerative changes, as also overuse, or indirect, viz., occupational

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Exercise is a ‘must-do’ today — to keeping up with a healthy lifestyle — owing to our sedentary lifestyle. We all are aware of the plethora of benefits imparted to the mind, body, as also physiology, by the regular practice of physical exercise. The paradox is many folks think of

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Acharya Charaka defined Ayurveda as a discerning programme that expounds what is favourable and unfavourable for the welfare of all human beings: Hitaahitam sukham duham ayustasya hitaahitam | Maanam cha taccha yatroktam ayurvedah sochyate || Ayurveda is not only a medical science, it also a handbook of, and for, life.

Words: Dr Ambika P NAYAK Our modern diet plan quantifies food per gram — of the whole meal, or each composition, and overall calories for every meal. Ever wondered if there was a standard plan for every human being, including the apparently healthy individual? The fact is: people vary so much from one another with