Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Psoriasis is a chronic progressive inflammatory disorder of the skin. Its aetiology, or cause, is obscure. Some researchers testify to its genetic predisposition. They reckon that psoriasis often tends to run in families. They also note that if both parents are affected, their offspring has a 60 per cent chance of

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR  Individuals diagnosed with osteoporosis are often prescribed lifestyle changes, along with medication. These include — Giving up smoking Ensuring adequate calcium and vitamin D intake [1,500mg per day of calcium, preferably through diet and/or supplements; 800-1,200IU [international units] of vitamin D, especially in adults aged 55+ Limiting alcohol consumption Regular exercise

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Osteoporosis is a bone disorder. It presents with the clinical portrait of a gradual decrease in the density of bones that weakens them and makes fractures possible. Bones, as you know, contain minerals, like calcium and phosphorus; they are essential to make bones hard and dense. The body requires an adequate

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR The major glands of the endocrine [hormone secretion] system, which produce one or more specific hormones, in our body, are the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the parathyroid glands, the islets of the pancreas, the adrenal glands, the testes, and the ovaries, in men and women respectively. Not all

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR  Dermatitis is a broad expression. It covers different disorders, with one main presentation — a red, tickly rash. The term, eczema, is sometimes used for dermatitis. While some types of dermatitis affect only specific parts of the body, there are others that can present themselves anywhere. Some forms of dermatitis have

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Osteoarthritis [OA] is a degenerative disorder. It affects millions of people worldwide — it’s seemingly more common than heart disease and diabetes. Call it a paradox, or what you may, one major fact remains — OA is only going to expand in its intensity and also get firmly rooted in one’s

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Allergies can often be psychosomatic. There is an interesting story. A nineteenth-century US physician, Dr John Noland MacKenzie, MD, wrote how one of his patients, a 32-year old woman, experienced allergy symptoms when exposed to the odour of roses. Her symptoms included a violent cold with watery eyes and runny nose,

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR There are dozens of viruses that cause colds — the most common being rhinoviruses. Over 200 types of rhinoviruses are implicated in the causative mechanism of a cold. The worst part is — the nasal distress, caused by rhinoviruses, are more frequent in spring and fall, although they can instigate the

Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Acne is as old as civilisation. If King Tut carried acne scars to his grave, the ancient Romans believed that acne could be treated with sulphur baths — in circa 753 BC. Acne is a common, distressing disorder — when it is severe it can leave perpetual scars, leading to depression,