Archives for January 2017

January 9, 2017 By Dr Ashwin Nanda 1 Comment

You are as ‘Old’ as your Prostate

Mr Rebello, sitting in front of me recalled his plight of waking up 2-3 times every night to void urine instead of only once as before. Initially, he assumed it was due to winter but, when the problem persisted in summer as well, he blamed it on his poorly controlled diabetes. He was 65 yrs of age when he began to experience this. He didn’t bother visiting his physician since he had made peace with his high blood sugars as he had no control over his eating habits.

How he wished he hadn’t assumed and instead consulted his physician. After 2 yrs he moved to another city and didn’t feel up to the task of finding a new physician to follow up with. Five years down the line, after his 70th birthday, he began experiencing lower back pain which he again concluded was due to ageing. Only when the pain became persistent and unbearable, he met an Orthopedic who after examination and X-rays diagnosed him with a collapsed vertebral fracture. He was crestfallen when the cause of his vertebral fracture was pinned down to ‘PROSTATE CANCER’.

Going back to the time when Mr Rebello was 65 yrs old, he overlooked the fact that the frequency of urination was normal during the day. Had high sugar been the cause, the issue would have bothered him during the day as well. Actually, this was the first symptom that his prostate gland was enlarged. Undiagnosed and untreated over 5 yrs the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate had turned cancerous and spread to his backbone.

Let’s try to make sense about what the prostate gland is, its enlargement and when does it translate into cancer.

The Prostate Gland: Location in the body and function.

The image below shows the location of the prostate gland in the body which is present only in males. It is located below the urinary bladder. The prostate secretes the fluid that nourishes and protects sperms. During ejaculation, the prostate squeezes this fluid into the urethra, and it’s expelled with sperms as semen. In the prostatic cells, the male sex hormone testosterone gets converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which causes the cells to grow resulting in an increase in its size.

Normally, the prostate gland is approximately the size of a walnut. As the size increases with age (which can start as early as 40 yrs) it starts to obstruct the urine outflow as shown in the image.

Symptoms of Prostatic enlargement:

A weak or slow urinary stream.
A feeling of incomplete bladder emptying.
Difficulty starting urination.
Frequent urination.
The urgency to urinate.
Getting up frequently at night to urinate.
A urinary stream that starts and stops.
Straining to urinate.

Medically enlarged prostate which is not cancerous is called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).

As the gland keeps getting enlarged, there are mutations in the DNA of its cells causing it to grow uncontrolled and abnormally resulting in cancer.

The saving grace in this entire process is that prostatic enlargement can be diagnosed early and controlled thereby preventing cancer.

DIAGNOSTIC MODALITIES:

Sonography of the prostate gland is advised once a man turns 50 yrs to establish if enlargement has started. If there is a family history of prostate cancer then it should be done as early as 40 yrs.
A blood test called Prostate Specific Antigen(PSA) should be done. Very high values are suggestive of cancer whereas in the enlargement phase the values remain < 4 units.

If you are facing any of the above symptoms, you must visit a Urologist who will diagnose and prescribe medication for the same. Incase medicines are not effective, one might have to opt for surgery.

In Mr Rebello’s case, since cancer had already developed, radiotherapy was first given to shrink the size of the prostate, post which surgery was performed to remove the cancerous gland. Cancer which had spread to his backbone was controlled by a combination of chemo and hormonal therapy.

Risk Factors for prostatic enlargement and cancer:

Age – prevalence increases markedly with age. The gland grows at a rate of 2 – 2.5 % annually in older men.

Genetics – 50% men undergoing surgery for BPH < 60 yrs of age have inheritable form of the disease.

PREVENTION:

Apart from timely diagnosis and treatment, being physically active, controlling Diabetes and weight are known to reduce enlargement of the gland. Diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins is also beneficial in prevention along with avoiding red meat.

Image credit – prostate.net

January 5, 2017 By Divita Bhatt 2 Comments

All you want to know about NEUROBICS?

Medical science is working wonders on a daily basis to make one healthier. And, health does not really mean just physical well-being but, includes being stress free with a healthy mind. To be healthy, regular exercise is a must. There are various ways you can exercise. Some take to running ( cardio) , some take to gyming or playing a sport and some take to Yoga or Aerobics.

Everyone is aware of the benefits of Aerobic exercises on our body but, how much do we know of – Neurobics?

Neurobics is a term coined by Lawrence Katz and Manning Rubin to describe exercises that help the brain stay fit. Its primary goal is to help you remember, along with the ability to learn new information.

Neurobics has basic 3 concepts namely:

Involve one or more senses in a new context.
Involve your full attention.
Break your routine in a significant way.

Here are few examples of this super interesting exercise form:

Use your non-dominant hand for your daily tasks like brushing your teeth, holding a glass, writing, combing your hair or holding your phone.
Visit unusual shops/parks or places or take a new route to reach to the same destination.
Change order of your meals – Start with dal – rice and then go for chapatti and veggies.
Keep your eyes closed while doing activities like dressing up, reaching to your cupboard/chair, sitting in the car and wearing your seat belt.
Add some new odours in your day. For example, start your day with mint tea rather than your usual tea/coffee.
Visit some park, sit at a place, close your eyes and try to visualise what is happening around.
Go on a drive with a friend or any family member without having any destination in mind. Let them tell you when to take left or right.
Change interiors of your room – if it is not possible to move bigger furniture, just play with the smaller things like painting/wall piece/photo frame.
Choose entirely new curtains/bed sheets for your room and make yourself notice them every day.
Listen to some new language and try some of the pronunciations.
Make it a family activity – everyone eating with their non-dominant hand/everyone writing their own names with the non-dominant hand.
Try tongue twisters. They train a lot.

Try with activities which you don’t do generally – balancing a book on head/juggling/making toys or shapes from clay/identify things from your drawer while your eyes closed.

These activities are challenging as well as fun at the same time. Your kids and elderly at home– all can train their minds for better memory and co-ordination and keep several neurological conditions away like memory loss. Do these regularly, invent some similar exercises and have a super brain workout!

January 4, 2017 By Anusha Subramanian 1 Comment

What I considered a huge hardship, fitness has now become part of life for me

He has struggled since childhood, adolescent years and now as a young adult with excess weight issues. He was always ridiculed for being overweight. There was not a single day that he did not spend feeling bad about being on the heavier side. He tried everything on this planet and kept yo-yo to shed those extra kilos but nothing worked. Finally, some correct advice from his personal coach to eat right and workout correctly has helped him shed 7 kilos within a month and totally 18 kgs. Let’s hear Nilesh’s story in his own words.

I have been overweight my entire life. I started out as a chubby baby, who grew into an overweight child and by the time I graduated High school I was starting my adulthood as morbidly obese. And as I moved from my 18 to early 20s, I had crossed a landmark of 100 kgs. Things become critical when people started knowing you by the”extra pounds” you have. And that is what actually I was as a person. And, let me tell you that feeling was really depressing.

Post this realisation, my weight went up and down for years as I went on one fad diet after another. I would try a new diet for a week or two, would try every other gym that opened up in the vicinity but if I did not get the quick fix that was promised to me I would quit, go on a month long binge, and gain everything back.

It wasn’t until I realised that quick fixes and magic gyms don’t work for me and questioned myself would I able to lose those weight that had been holding me down all my life. I realized (thanks to the million advice you get when you have those extra pounds) that if I had to put down “this portion of body”(the splurged fat, the cellulite’s and my dear pot belly) that was originally not part of me, I had to make changes to my lifestyle- the way I eat, drink, sleep and exercise.

My first task was to set a goal for myself and needed someone to monitor that so that I don’t cheat. While I was still evaluating what is to be done, my boss introduced me to GOQII. At the first instance, it was just a device that would keep track but, I took it as it was providing me with all features that I was looking for- A target setter and someone who could monitor.

And believe me, it has been a life-changing decision for me. I chose Trishala Chopra as my coach as her profile said she dealt with all the problems that I was going through currently. And, it worked a miracle. She kept me well motivated to complete my physical training goals and also supported my diet well by introducing small changes but, effective changes to my diet.

These changes were implemented in a manner that didn’t stress me to remove extra time from my daily schedule but, were made part of my lifestyle. In a month’s time of being a part of the GOQii ecosystem, I lost close to 7 kgs. My Coach has been flawless in her approach and the knowledge she shares with me. The best part is that I have made small changes in my lifestyle that has led to tremendous improvement. In measurable terms, I have gone two sizes smaller (from an XXL to L size) on all my clothing. This is a great achievement for me. Also, Weight has gone down by over 15kgs. Diabetes is in check. The best part about all of this is that from being a person who hardly walked a few hundred steps a few months ago, recently completed a half marathon. I had very low step counts may be 500-600 before GOQii and now I do a daily step count of over 15,000 steps.

My coach has been instrumental in guiding me every day with regard to the dos and don’ts towards leading a healthy life.

I feel much lighter and energetic now. And, fitness has become part of life than what it was earlier- a huge hardship.

What does Coach Trishala Nitesh Chopra have to say about Player Nilesh Maurya?

Nilesh was highly obese when he was assigned to me. He was close to 117 kgs. He had been an overweight person all his life. His lifestyle was sedentary and workout was negligible. He used to participate in food challenges and had the capacity to eat so many large pizzas, it was not easy for me to change his food habits.

The first thing I planned was to get him to move his body. Walk was the first thing he started and the best thing about him was his willingness to do things. When he started, he was a bit lazy which required me to poke him to doing his activities. I monitored every single activity and motivated him to just reach an everyday target.

Then the eating habits were changed, reduced the excess carbohydrate contents in his diet and he started losing weight with little changes here and there and here he is today from 117 kgs to 99 kgs. His sheer dedication and hard work have made him achieve this! More kgs to go…this is just the beginning .

January 3, 2017 By Ruta Satam 1 Comment

2016 Report Card: Karma activities at GOQii

GOQii has been working with Non-profit organizations as its Karma partners in promoting and spreading awareness for different causes. Karma activities are also based on the premise that doing Karma keeps you healthy. Just to reiterate inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s journey of 390 KM, for every 390 steps tracked through your GOQii activity tracker band, you earn one Karma point. These points are then converted into monetary donations that is donated to charity sponsored by our Karma partner.

It’s been two successful years now and we have charities listed on the GOQii app that are successfully funded by the Donor partners.

Here are two recent causes that we have contributed to.

Millions of children in India go to bed hungry because their parents/guardians are not able to purchase food for them. Most of them drop out from schools so that they can help their parents and supplement the family income.

Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust’s-Food for Education Program distributes free food prepared at our kitchens on a daily basis, to poor children if they attend any formal or non-formal educational class. It thus combines food with education-we now have a child who is educated and well fed also. The programme has been very effective in arresting the drop-out rate in schools.

Ratna Nidhi’s food has been treated by the beneficiaries as “Homely Balanced and Tasty”. Not for profit, the food has a flavour of compassion, and tender loving care.

As of today, the organisation feeds more than 4500 Children daily through its approximately 50 centres all over Mumbai including the suburbs. The Mid Day Meal is cooked at the Food Center by the special team of cooks under Ratna Nidhi’s representatives’ direct supervision.

The food partners are identified carefully and after the detailed need evaluation. These are generally Non-aided vernacular schools who do not qualify for the Govt. Mid-Day-Meal, Pre-schools in Urban Areas, Night schools who do not receive any of the welfare benefits and Street Children NGO’s who provide shelter.

The meals are packed for various partner schools and Balwadis. A special delivery system ensures that the food reaches the children by lunch time on a daily basis.

A simple meal for children each day that improves nourishment, increase weight, boosted attentiveness in class and ensures a healthy educated future.

Empowering Women against Violence:-

Moving from children let us now talk of women empowerment. After children, it’s the women who get abused the most and hence empowering women against violence is paramount.

How often have you come across a story in the newspapers or television about violence against women? Every day is the answer. Violence against women and girls is a bitter reality in India. As many as one-third of women and girls in the age group 15-49 have experienced physical violence, about one in 10 have experienced some form of sexual violence [Source: National Family Health Survey Round III (2005-2006)].

Yet, violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, is unavoidable. Many of us think and justify that violence by intimate partners is normal, and therefore acceptable. We need to change this very thinking that normalises violence against women and girls. We all have a role in preventing such violence.

The story of a 9 year old girl Mynah, who was married to a 20-year-old man, is an example to stand up against violence. Her husband repeatedly subjected her to intimate partner violence. After hearing of her experience, counsellors of Oxfam India advised Mynah to file a case under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Mynah took the brave decision to take control of her life. She continued with her studies, with the court’s intervention, she has got compensation. She has also remarried according to her own wish.

Oxfam India programmes are currently active in the six focus states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

Oxfam India has been working to reduce the acceptance of violence against women and girls. They have reached out to more than 42,000 women to end violence in their lives and established 23 support centres within formal and informal locations to provide psycho-social counselling and legal aid to women facing this issue in their lives.

Together, we need to make sure that perceptions, attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls change so that gender-based discrimination comes to an end. With your help, this is what Oxfam India hopes to achieve in the future through supporting women like Mynah.

What has GOQii been doing in the Karma space in the last two years?

Here are some of the activities that we have conducted for players as well as our employees in the last two years…..

One of the biggest on ground Karma event that we are a part of is the 100 KM Oxfam Trailwalk where GOQii players and employees participate and walk 100 km to raise awareness and support a cause.

Part from this we have had regular activities in GOQii office. This year we had a session with Greensole, a social venture that collects discarded shoes, refurbishes them and makes comfortable footwear for the underprivileged.

We also did something interesting this Christmas. While last year we went to a home that housed children with Cancer and spent few hours with the kids by playing and dancing with them, this year we celebrated Christmas in the most unique way. GOQii employees played secret santa to orphaned children of an orphanage in Chembur and also employees pledged for various basic commodities like Rice, dal, wheat, Oil etc and donated to the orphanage.