The Indian Practitioner

World Health Day 2025 – Maternal and Newborn Care for Healthy Beginnings and Hopeful Futures

Dr. Varsha Narayanan — 2025-05-07

World Health Day, 2025, is focussing on maternal and newborn health with a campaign, titled healthy beginnings, hopeful futures, with the endeavour of making governments and various health communities to strive to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritize women’s longer-term health and well-being. Support for maternal and newborn health needs to begin well before pregnancy and continue long after childbirth. The foundation of a healthy pregnancy starts with a woman’s overall health that includes access to high quality obstetric care, nutrition, vaccinations, managing associated health conditions, mental health support, and improving education and awareness of women and their families.

Medi Matters

The Indian Practitioner — 2025-05-07

Ocular Manifestations of Rhino-Sino-Orbital Mucormycosis – A Pilot Study at a Tertiary Healthcare Facility of North India

Dr. Manish Munjal — 2025-05-07

Mucormycosis is the third most common invasive fungal infection following aspergillosis and candidiasis. Sino-nasal mucormycosis, if unrecognized or inadequately treated is an acutely fatal fungal infection. The objective here was to study the ocular manifestations in patients of sinonasal mucormycosis. A total of 40 patients with microbiologically and histopathologically proven, Sinonasal Mucormycosis were analysed over a period of 1 year (January 2018 to December 2018). The emphasis was on subjects with ocular manifestations on presentation. Ocular symptoms had a duration of less than a week in 86.2% of the patients. Periorbital swelling in 70% (with 67.9% having periorbital swelling of left side), and loss of vision in 67.5% were the chief complaints. Total Ophthalmoplegia was noted in 57.5% and central retinal artery occlusion was detected in 50% on fundus examination. Pupillary reflex was absent in 37.5%. Extra-ocular muscle involvement (65%) was the most common finding on ophthalmic examination followed by chemosis (62.5%). A high clinical suspicion is needed for an early diagnosis of mucor as the underlying aetiology, which plays a key role in outcome of the disease. Short duration of ocular symptoms and unilaterality is highly suggestive.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM): A Transformative Tool in Diabetes Management - Simplified for Family Physicians

Dr. Abhijit Anil Trailokya — 2025-05-07

Diabetes management requires precise and regular monitoring of blood glucose levels to minimize complications and improve quality of life. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems have emerged as transformative tools that provide real-time, continuous data on glucose levels, enabling patients to make informed decisions about diet, physical activity, and medication. Unlike traditional self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), CGM offers insight into trends and variability, allowing for proactive diabetes management. This article discusses CGM technology, its benefits over SMBG, clinical applications, challenges, and future directions, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize diabetes care.

Liver: The Silent Workhouse – Preserving Function through Community Awareness and Public Health Interventions

Dr. Aashi Akay — 2025-05-07

The liver, a vital metabolic and detoxifying organ, is central to maintaining systemic homeostasis. With its involvement in over 500 essential functions, including nutrient metabolism, detoxification, and immune regulation, liver health is indispensable to human survival. Despite this, liver diseases—particularly Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), viral hepatitis, and cirrhosis—are rising globally. This article examines liver function, the epidemiology of liver diseases, and emerging strategies to preserve hepatic health through clinical and public health interventions.

Successful Online Early Intervention in a Child with Features Suggestive of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Ms. Marina Shaju — 2025-05-07

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition influenced by genetic, environmental and neurobiological factors. Despite the availability of multiple therapeutic approaches, many children with ASD continue to struggle with social interaction, communication and adapting to various social situations. This case report presents the intervention and outcomes of a 28-month old boy with features suggestive of ASD who underwent the E-nable Parent Coaching Program, a structured, outcome-based, multidisciplinary intervention. This approach is based on the New Horizons Social Behaviour and Communication (NHSBC) sequence and the Theory of Selective Human Engagement (SHE), focusing on the core deficits of ASD rather than merely managing symptoms. The intervention emphasizes on parental coaching, structured goal-setting and an individualized approach tailored to the child’s home environment and family dynamics. Over time, the child exhibited remarkable improvements in social engagement, communication, daily living skills, and emotional regulation, culminating in successful school integration. This case highlights the need for a paradigm shift in autism interventions, advocating for a systematic, developmental approach that prioritizes social adaptation and meaningful interaction over conventional symptom-targeted therapies.

The Concept of Lung Health and A Population-based Approach

Nikhil Sarangdhar — 2025-05-09

Both acute and chronic respiratory diseases account for a large chunk of global morbidity, mortality and disease burden worldwide and impact healthcare systems in terms of resource utilization and economic loss. Lung health is an old concept which has first been defined in the twenty-first century and encompasses strategies that either keep the respiratory system disease-free or attempt to arrest the rate of lung function decline in individuals. Lung health, just like breath, begins at the time of birth and lasts until death, from “womb to tomb”. Several measures, attributes and interventions have been touted for lung health and a good number of them are evidence-based. Incorporation of lung health strategies into public health programs at the primary level might go a long way in reducing respiratory disease burden worldwide as well as improving resource optimization in developing countries.

The Importance Of A Philosophical Construct In Evaluating Psychiatric Symptoms - Part 4

Dr. Ashoka Jahnavi Prasad — 2025-05-09

This is the fourth and concluding part of the series. This article emphasizes the vital role of philosophical understanding in psychiatry, highlighting how concepts like ethics, cultural awareness, and human values deepen psychiatric insight. It explores the interplay between moral intuitions, ethical theories, and the possibility of transcending human values - extending even to imagined dialogues with intelligent extraterrestrials to assess the universality of moral frameworks.

The Silent Surge of Fake Doctors Is Endangering Millions of Lives

Dr. Naresh Purohit — 2025-05-09

This opinion piece highlights the alarming rise of fake doctors in India and the grave public health risks they pose. It explores systemic gaps in regulation, inadequate enforcement, and low awareness contributing to the crisis. Urging legal reform and public vigilance, the opinion calls for urgent government action to safeguard the right to health and ethical medical practice.

Nutraceuticals

The Indian Practitioner — 2025-05-09

AYUSH

The Indian Practitioner — 2025-05-09

It's a Tech World - Now

The Indian Practitioner — 2025-05-09