Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Asthma comes from the Greek word, aazein, which means, “to exhale with open mouth; to gasp.” It is this typical feeling in asthma that makes its ‘victims’ run out of breath. Literally. Asthma is a psychosomatic disorder — it is triggered by allergens [allergy-causing substances], dysfunctional relationships and emotional, or psychological,

Words: Dr George GUESS A newspaper item screamed not long ago that New Delhi was literally under the weather as hospitals reported a spurt in viral infections, especially the highly-infectious mononucleosis — also known as the ‘kissing disease’ — which is common in the West. Intermittent rains over a fortnight, as the newspaper report said,

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Ankylosing spondylitis [AS] refers, or relates, to inflammatory arthritis of the spine and other joints. It also reminds one of the bony pangs of rheumatoid arthritis [RA] — which may sometimes progress to bony ankylosis [stiffening, or fixation, of the joint due to the disease process], along with the formation of

Words: Dr Rachel LEVINE It goes without saying that genital, gonadal and chromosomal variants are neither completely ‘male’ nor ‘female.’ This is primarily because intersex individuals are born with possible anatomical and physiological sexual differences. This also results in different intersex variations. Besides, what used to be a unified classification of hermaphrodite, exploration of gender

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR  All of us have tiny, bristly hair that protect the openings of our nostrils. Their occupation — when we breathe in air — is to sieve dust, pollen, pollutants, and other particles, including germs. Yet, the downside is tiny bits of such particles, and other airborne offenders, slip through the ‘defence,’

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR The puffy enlargement of your thyroid gland is called goitre. It may have a tendency to hamper your swallowing, or breathing, activities. The causes of goitre are sundry. Hormones produced by your thyroid gland regulate your metabolism, including the rate at which you burn calories. The presence. or emergence, of goitre

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR It is possible that whosoever coined the oft-used locution, ‘pain in the neck,’ would have surely experienced how annoying and troublesome the agony can be — this could, perforce, be just one reason why all of us assign it to people, or tasks, that cause ‘distress,’ more so in a literal

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR The classification of eating disorders is subject to inconsistency. The diverse frames of reference too ‘mirror’ beliefs about cause and pathology, no less, along with varied psychological underpinnings. Besides, what may have led to gender-related ‘apepsia hysterica’ in the early nineteenth century, has a new name today — anorexia nervosa. In

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Women face unique health challenges. Their bodies are regulated by rhythmic monthly cycles. As a rule, their cycles flow with computerised regularity — naturally and effortlessly. However, certain subtle interactions of hormones, stress, environmental pollutants and diet can sometimes disturb the rhythm and cause imbalances. This is where natural Ayurveda and

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Constipation is a common digestive disorder. It is the classical outcome of wrong eating habits and sedentary lifestyle. The problem is most often under-diagnosed, since most folks prefer to try a lot of unwanted medications, rather than report for treatment. What’s more, the belief that constipation leads to accumulation of toxins