Inoculation Schedule For Your Child..

Immunisation is the best way to ensure that your child is safe from diseases - it is a way to protect your child from serious illnesses. Immunisation can be done through vaccines either in form of injections or administered orally. Here is what you need to know about the inoculation schedule for your child.

1. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccine (BCG): It is to be given at birth and protects against tuberculosis.

2. Oral Polio Vaccine(OPV): It is to be given at birth, at the age of 6 weeks, at 10 weeks, at 14 weeks, between 15 to 18 months and at 5 years. It protects against polio.

3. Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV): It is to be given at age of 6 weeks, at 10 weeks, at 14 weeks and between 15-18 months. It requires a total of four doses only and it protects from Polio.

4. Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus vaccine (DPT): It is to be given at age of 6 weeks, at 10 weeks, at 14 weeks, between 16-24 months and at 5 years. It protects against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. It may cause fever, pain and swelling at site and in rare cases irritability and convulsions.

5. Hemophilus Influenza B Vaccine (Hib): It is to be given at the age of 6 weeks, at 10 weeks, at 14 weeks and between 15-18 months. It protects against meningitis, pneumania and septicaemia caused by the bacteria Hemophilus influenza B. It may cause slight pain and fever upon administration.

6. Hepatitis B Vaccine (Hep B): It can be given in any one out of the three schedules- at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age / at birth, 6 and 14 weeks of age/ at birth, 1 and 6 months of age. It protects against liver disease and liver cancer caused by Hepatitis B virus. It sometimes causes mild fever or pain upon administration.

7. Measles Vaccine: It is given at the age of 9 months. It protects against measles. It may cause mild fever and rash may appear after one week, but will be cured by itself.

8. Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccine (MMR): It is to be given at ageof 15 months. A second dose can be given at 5 years of age.It protects against measles, mumps and rubella. It may cause mild fever and rash may appear after one week, but will be cured by itself.

9. Typhoid Vaccine: It is to be given at age of 2 plus and repeated after every 3 years. It protects against Typhoid. It may cause mild fever upon administration.

10. Tetanus reduced dose diptheria (dT) / Tetanus toxoid (TT) Vaccine: It is to be given at age of 10 and 16 years. It protects against diphteria and tetanus. It may cause mild pain and fever.

Special Vaccines:

1. Chickenpox Vaccine: It is to be given at age of 1 year. This vaccine protects against chickenpox. It may cause mild rash and fever.

2. Pneumococcal Vaccine: It is to be given at age of 2, 4 and 6 months and 15-18 months. It protects against meningitis, pneumania and septicaemia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. It may cause pain, redness and fever upon administration.

3. Hepatitis A Vaccine: It is to be given in two doses 6 months apart, with the first dose given at the age of 18 months. It protects against Hepatitis A virus which can cause acute jaundice.

4. Rotavirus Vaccine: It is to be given in 2-3 doses at 4-8 weeks interval, starting before 6 weeks of age. It protects against diarrhoea caused by Rotavirus. It may cause some stomach discomfort upon administration.

Other special vaccines include influenza vaccine, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, Japanese B encephalitis, Pneumoccocal 23 valent and Rabies vaccines which can be given after consultation with your Paediatrician.

Healing With YOGA....

Yoga is well known as a stress reducer, especially when combined with meditation and pranayama. Recent studies now show that Yoga can help in treating and preventing a number of ailments, ranging from back pain to Diabetes. Taking a single Yoga class can help you lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

The six well known benefits of Yoga include:

1.Heart health: Heart disease patients who did Yoga for six weeks showed significant increase in artery, resulting in lower blood pressure and increased heart output.

2.Chronic back pain: Chronic lower-back sufferers experienced less pain after practising Yoga twice a week for six months.

3. Asthma and other pulmonary disorders: Practising Yoga for 2-3 hours a week, for ten weeks, helps in reduced symptoms of asthma and other chronic pulmonary disorders.

4. Binge eating: Binge eaters who participated in 10-week Yoga therapy programme showed significant reduction of bingeing episode per month and were also able to manage stress more effectively.

5. Migraine and other headaches: Practising Yoga daily for about four months leads to significant reduction in incidences of headaches due to migraine and tension.

6. Metabolic disorders: People at high risk of developing diabetes, can lower their risk factor for the disease after doing Yoga for three months.

Vital Nutrients For Menopause.

A well balanced diet is important for every individual to maintain good health.But it does happen that a particular stage in life, needs some extra care so as to prevent health problems later. One such stage especially in woman is menopause.

Certain nurients play a very vital role during menopause and their absence or decreased levels in the body can cause some ill effects. Such nutrients include CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, VITAMIN E, VITAMIN D and PHYTOESTROGENS.

CALCIUM: A healthy premenopausal woman should have about 1,000 mgs of calcium per day. A balanced amount of calcium in the body prevents the development of osteoporosis. Foods high in calcium include milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products; oysters, sardines and canned salmon with bones; and dark-green leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli.

MAGNESIUM: Helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Besides this magnesium along with calcium work hand in hand together to maintain bone density which helps to prevent osteoporosis. It is found in wholegrains, milk and milk products, tofu, nuts seeds and legumes, green leafy vegetables like spinach.

VITAMIN D: Vitamin D is also very important for calcium absorption and bone formation. A 1992 study showed that women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who took vitamin D for 3 years significantly reduced the occurrence of new spinal fractures.
This absorption process is done by the skin when it is exposed to sun.
The dietary sources of this vitamin include fortified milk and margarine, eggs and fish oils. High doses of vitamin D can cause kidney stones, constipation, or abdominal pain, particularly in women with existing kidney problems.

VITAMIN E: Considered useful in alleviating hotflushes and thought to offer some heart protection. Although some foods, such as nuts and seeds, egg yolk and wheat germ contain Vitamin E, one need to take a supplement to get the therapeutic dose(400IU twice daily).

PHYTOESTROGENS: These are a group of compounds found in plants, structurally and functionally similar to steroidal estrogens produced by the body. They play a similar role like that of estrogen in the body especially when the is deficiency of this particular hormone. This helps to allevaite the menopausal symptoms and also helps in absorption of calcium in the body. It also protects against heart disease which is very common in women afer menopause.
Foods rich in phytoestrogens include soy foods, flaxseeds, chickpeas and other legumes.

NOTE:The above advice should be followed under strict medical supervision.

'Doctors have shorter lifespan than patients'- Stress, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle are taking a toll.

The men and women who help us stay fit and live longer are themselves succumbing to stress, sedentary lifestyles and dying of cardiac arrests.
An observation by the Indian Medical Association's (IMA) Pune chapter says that an Indian doctor's average lifespan is 55-59 years, almost 10 years lesser than that of the general population.

It was based on the analysis of the association's social security scheme (SSS) with 5,500 doctors from Maharashtra, India and over 11,000 from across the country registered.

IMA Pune chapter's president Dr Dilip Sarda told DNA that their data of the last five years indicated that doctors' lifespan was pointing to an alarming trend. "An average Indian lives up to 69-72 years whereas a doctor lives only up to 55 to 59 years which is shocking. It was noticed that most early deaths were due to cardiac arrest," he said.

According to Dr Sarda, every year, 12 to 15 doctors in Maharashtra and around 30 doctors across the country lose their lives in this age-group. Stress, sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise were the causes of early death, he said.

"They are becoming obese, stressed, hypertensive, diabetic or are undergoing angioplasty which reduces their chances of living longer and staying fit," he said.

Dr Sarda said the doctors themselves were responsible for their poor lifestyle, lack of exercise, stressful careers and an improper diet regime.

This was taking a toll of their health which has affected life expectancy to a great extent, the doctor said.