Dr K K Aggarwal

Kalyug and Mosquitoes

As we are moving deeper and deeper into Kalyuga, we see that mosquito-related diseases are on the rise whether it is Dengue, Chikungunya or Malaria. As per Shrimad Bhagwad, Pralaya and Mahapralaya are linked to global warming and as global warming progresses, mosquito-related illnesses will only increase

There is one more lesson from mosquitoes growing and their menace in kalyuga and that is that even a very small insect like mosquito can kill a human being. Therefore, never estimate anyone as small in Kalyuga.

Even 3-4 mm BP reduction matters

Every year, May 17 is dedicated to World Hypertension Day (WHD). The theme for 2012 is Healthy Lifestyle – Healthy Blood Pressure.

If you change the oil in the car regularly, and don’t wait until it’s performing poorly to change it, then why treat the body any differently.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and hypertension is the most common, reversible risk factor for CVD. High blood pressure goes hand-in-hand with, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, overweight/obesity and diabetes.

In the United States alone, 7.2 crore people age 20 and older have high blood pressure. Of those with high blood pressure, nearly 30% don’t know they have it, and 65% don’t have it under control. In India, the number is over 10 crore. Worldwide, an estimated 97.2 crore people had hypertension in the year 2000. By 2025, an estimated 156 crore people will have it.

High blood pressure is easily detected and usually controllable.

• Normal blood pressure is systolic pressure below 120 and diastolic below 80.
• Hypertension is systolic blood pressure at or above 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure at 90 mm Hg or higher.
• “Pre-hypertension” is systolic pressure of 120–139 mm Hg, and/or diastolic pressure of 80–89 mm Hg.  This is the point at which lifestyle changes are recommended to reduce blood pressure.

There are dramatic benefits from small decreases in blood pressure, even in people without hypertension by current definitions.

• A 3–4 mmHg systolic increase in blood pressure would translate into a 20% higher stroke death rate and a 12% higher death rate from ischemic heart disease.
• In patients with obesity, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, the impact of these small changes in blood pressure on CVD is even greater.
• Hypertension does not typically cause a symptom; that’s why it’s called the ‘silent killer. There is a long lag period from the beginning of the problem to the time when patients are aware of the
  damage it’s caused.
• One should have their blood pressure checked routinely.
• One should live a healthy lifestyle to prevent hypertension.
• One should keep weight in a good range.
• One should be physically active.
• One should eat a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and sodium.
• One should avoid tobacco at any cost.
• Those who choose to drink; should do so in moderate amounts (no more than an average of one drink a day for women or two for men).
• Those who already have high blood pressure, should keep it controlled under a physician’s care.

Love, affection of distant kin good enough for donation of organs: HC

In what could script new rules for organ donation between distant relatives, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said that love and affection between the donor and recipient held top priority in such cases and a request could not be turned down simply because a family member had not stepped forward. Justice Vipin Sanghi made these observations while adjudicating a petition by Parveen Begum who was in dire need of a kidney. The Sir Ganga Ram Hospital’s authorisation committee had turned down her request to receive the organ from her niece. Her case was first reported by Newsline on April 24 when her family moved court against the hospital’s decision. Justice Sanghi said that a hospital’s authorisation committee, which examines cases of organ donation between distant relatives, could reject such a request only when there is ground to apprehend that the donation involved commercial transaction. “Merely because in a given case, a near relative may not be willing to donate his or her organ/tissue to the recipient, it is not ground to either raise suspicion of a commercial transaction, or to reject the case altogether. It is not the mandate of the authorisation committee to compel or drive the near relative of the recipient to donate their organ/tissue to the recipient,” he said.

Justice Sanghi opted to interpret the term “payment” under the Transplantation of Human Organ and Tissues Act and noted that this would not cover a monetary transaction between a donor and recipient in the past when such a transplant was not required. “It refers to a monetary payment made by a donor on his or her behalf to a recipient as consideration for the donation of an organ. It does not refer to a contribution, gift or monetary support made or granted gratuitously in the past, when even the need for organ transplant was not in existence. The test is, whether the said payment would not have been made but for the donor agreeing to donate his or her organ,” he said. Justice Sanghi noted that financial disparity between the donor and the recipient will also not come in the way of such donations unless the committee has something material on record indicating involvement of commercial elements. Going a step further, he said that a sense of love, affection and gratitude, once established, provided the impetus to donate one’s organ, and any financial help by the recipient’s family in future could not lead to a conclusion that a monetary deal was struck between them at the time of the donation.  (Source: The Indian Express, May 16 2012)