Pocket killers

                                              A few days back when I was resting on my couch with a cup of coffee and watching TV I came across an interesting program on a TV channel. It was promoting an herbal product regarding deaddiction. Many TV artists came and introduced about that product and suddenly an ad popped out saying the product was successful in the deaddiction of nearly 50 lakh people in the state.  Wow is it possible? Is it true? What does it have?  And many other questions came to my mind. This is the background in which I started to write this blog. 

 Well friends I am personally a strong believer in deaddiction. Deaddiction is no joke and no easy task to any treating physicians or psychiatrists as many have found it. But is it possible to release a person from the stronghold of alcohol, tobacco and drugs? The answer is a strong yes. But it takes a good amount of patience from both the patient and the treating doctor and also from the caregiver to succeed in this ultimate battle. By saying a person is addicted we usually not only consider the physical dependence but also their psychological dependence. They both form two sides of the coin. Most of the time the physical dependence is treated but the psychological dependence is found wanting. To completely relieve a person from any form of addiction means treating   both these factors in the background of his personality, the support of family members and also the society. 

Deaddiction is no joke as it is being currently misused by many unqualified personnel with little knowledge in this regard. Deaddiction is just another medical treatment which needs medical expertice. The person who treats should know all about the addicting agents, their medical complications, the drugs used to treat them and so on. Also deddiction is a long process and it requires constant monitoring until complete cure. So when I came across these ads I just remembered the plenty of patients and caregivers who report to the hospital feeling disappointed after using these types of products. Friends beware of these products and ads. These products have no scientific proof or no prior research. All the data they project is false. Well these products have the same dose to all patients, same for all addicting agents and no contraindications or precautions. Is it possible? “Well I can just remember a comedy in a Tamil movie in which a comedian asks for a single medicine for a no of his physical complaints”. Well friends think twice before you buy these products. Are they registered under the drugs act? Do they have a batch no? Do they carry a manufacturing and expiry date? The answer is a big no. they are very clever to use the word herbal to fool the public and escape many govt restrictions. Well friends if you are reading this article please beware of these false promises and consult your nearby treating physician or a psychiatrist who are qualified to treat you. The take home message is these herbal products are not addiction killers but your pocket killers. Beware. 

Let’s Make a Difference.

Dr.Bevinsathya.

“ Don’t treat as patient treat as Human being.”

Health is wealth we all know this. But what is health?  Have we understood the word health?

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity is the definition of health giving by world health organization in the year 1948.  Well friends many of us are found wanting when it comes to understanding this definition.

Once a middle aged man who was working as a software engineer developed sudden chest pain and was admitted in a private hospital. Doctors who examined him told him that he had suffered a severe myocardial infarction and advised surgical intervention as soon as possible. So as per doctors’ advice he was operated within a week and his medical condition stabilized. He was discharged and was doing well. Within few days he again developed recurrent palpitations, sweating, chest discomfort and sleep disturbances. He consulted the doctors again who found everything normal in him. The software engineer was not satisfied so he consulted many doctors with no improvement. He started surfing the internet with no satisfying answers. He developed severe sleep disturbances and started to be very irritable towards others. He preferred to be alone. Hence he consulted a psychiatrist. On interview he told he had many financial constraints and had frequent worries about his health and how he is going to take care of his family. He was counseled and advised few medications and advised follow up. He improved within a week and he started to go work as usual. Within few months all his somatic complaints disappeared and he felt as healthy as before.

Another old woman came to a psychiatrist with complaints of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus even after regular insulin injection, severe itching in her legs, sleep disturbances and frequent worries about her future. She started to develop suicidal ideations and had frequent crying spells. Her records showed she had consulted many doctors with no improvement. On detailed interview she told she was a retired teacher.   She had lost her husband and her children have deserted her. She had no one to take care of her. She told she was not able to share this to anyone as no one was keen enough to listen to her. She was counseled and put on drugs and advised follow up. After two months she improved well .Her blood sugar levels came under control. Her skin lesions disappeared and she was able to sleep well. In both the incidents the persons were not given time to share their mental suffering which deteriorated their physical condition. Many of us think treating a person’s physical condition is enough. Treating a mental suffering is his own problem. Mental sufferings can worse a physical condition and a physical condition can worse a mental suffering and vice versa. We should understand this basic fact. You can’t be happy when you are depressed even though you are physically healthy. 

“ Don’t treat as patient treat as human being.” This was told to me by one of my senior teachers. Yes, friends many a time spending a little bit of time and speaking to a person in suffering is all he needs. It can solve many of his problems. So as a care giver as a family member as a friend and as a doctor it is our responsibility to respect others suffering not just by helping in their physical suffering but also  sharing a few minutes with them and listening to their mental suffering and thereby helping them in social well-being.

“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being -Jackie Robinson:  first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.

” LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE. "

Who the Real Culprits Are..?

 Once a teenager was taken to a doctor with complaints of behavioral disturbances due to poly -substance abuse. When his history was probed he told that “my father is a chronic alcoholic. He sends me to buy alcohol. He even uses cannabis for smoking. But I never scold him. Let him enjoy his freedom. I want to enjoy mine.’’ Then when the doctor spoke to the father he told that “sir I drink daily. But I go to work properly. Look at him. He is not studying or going to work. Then how can he drink?” The father politely came close to the doctor and questioned “sir I have used many substances but my son is using a new one a white substance to sniff what is that? Is it more euphoric? “What should the doctor tell the father? If the answer was yes the doctor would have turned the father too towards glue sniffing. The poor man never understood the real problem in the house. He was always blaming his son.

 A young couple bought their four year female child to a pediatrician with complaints of not obeying the parents. Their told the child was watching pogo channel continuously and refuses to change another channel or switch off the TV. The child was not doing the school homework regularly and often the class teacher complaints about that to them. They wanted to assess the IQ of the child. The child was assessed and IQ was found to be normal. During the course of interview the mother told that during infancy the child used to cry a lot and refuses to take food. So the mother switches on the TV, keeps a cartoon channel for the baby to see and feeds the child. She was doing that for nearly two years until the child went to playschool. Since both the parents are working they don’t have time to spend with child. Don’t have time to sit and talk and help the child in her homework.

From the two experiences which we had, the readers would have understood who the culprits were. Yes friends childhood period is one which is very important for every child. We should always be able to spend time with our children and sacrifice a few of our interests for the good nurturing of our child. Denying the proper support and then worrying for it makes no sense.So friends spend time with your children. The way you behave to them is the way they are going to behave back to you. 

LETS MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Dr. Bevinsathya.

IT'S Crowded Here

                       A female once travelled with her family to a marriage function nearby. When she entered the van arranged for that and the door was closed, she felt distressed and breathless. She had palpitations , ringing in the ears, fainting attacks and excessive sweating and came out of the van. She felt relieved and she did not travel in the van on that day and never after that. She avoids travelling in bus and van but prefers her scooter to travel after that incident. Few days later she went to a shopping mall with her family. She took the lift to go to the upper floor. She suddenly felt giddiness, palpitations, nausea, upset stomach and sweating. She came out of the lift in the very next floor. She did not take the lift back down .She avoided to use lift from then on for past three years now due the fear of developing the same symptoms. Once the lady went to her neighbor’s house .when she was speaking to her neighbor the door closed automatically due to wind. When she noticed that she felt discomfort and became restless .she ran out of the house in fear.

                        The symptoms the female had were suggestive of a condition called AGORAPHOBIA. In Agoraphobia there is marked and consistently maintained fear and the person avoids crowds, public places, travelling alone and travelling to far away places. The persons suffering from this disorder feel escape might be difficult from these places or help may not be available. This condition can occur mostly in persons who are anxious and avoidant and also in persons in severe stress or depression. Women are found to have more prevalence than men.

Early intervention and treatment with medications, relaxation and breathing techniques are found to show excellent results. So friends if any person is found to have these symptoms please consult your psychiatrist as soon as possible for better results….

Few other phobias are 

ACROPHOBIA - Fear of heights
CLAUSTROPHOBIA – Fear of closed places
HYDROPHOBIA - Fear of water (in rabies infection)
XENOPHOBIA – Fear of strangers,
ZOOPHOBIA – Fear of animals.

Please know them and share with others. 

LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE .....

DrBevinsathya

Cocaine a lethal CNS Stimulant

                 Cocaine is an alkaloid which is derived from coca bush. It is commonly called by the street name “Crack”.  Cocaine is a central stimulant which can be inhaled, smoked, or injected. The highest concentration of cocaine is found in the inject able form. People abuse cocaine to attain euphoric effect. Though government has tried to eradicate cocaine abuse young people abusing cocaine are increasing day by day. Cocaine though a CNS stimulant can cause serious side effects to the abuser.

The intoxication of this substance is associated with tachycardia, hypertension, sweating sleep disturbances and increased psychomotor activity. The abusers lose their personal and social judgment and have psychotic symptoms. On chronic use of heavy doses the person can have seizures, respiratory depression, arrhythmias and heart attacks. The use of these substances can also be an illness behavior due to depression and other mood disorders. Cocaine is a lethal substance which produces dependence and is very difficult to stop once a person starts abusing it. Any person abusing cocaine must consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible to undergo dead diction treatment, supportive psychotherapy and behavior therapy to prevent further complications….

LET'S MAKE A  DIFFERENCE ......                                                                                                                 DR.Bevinsathya                                    

My Childhood Memories

I can scan my remote memory way back to the day when I crawled to my mother to get rice mixed with milk. She used to tell me stories to make me eat. I still remember the day I sat with my grandmother at the age of 2yrs in the balcony noticing a crow struggling to get away from a tree. Days later my grandmother fell ill and was taken to hospital and I ran behind the wheel chair in the ramp not knowing what was happening to her. I remember the day when I sat in my father’s arm and looking at grandma’s body and asked “when will grandma wake up?’’ not knowing she has passed away. The first day I went to school my mother made me sit in the classroom and waited outside. I was so afraid and I cried and ran back to her. I remember few of my first friends in LKG.

 I remember many a thing about me and my brother fighting with each other. Once at the age of 5yrs I tried to take a honey bottle which slipped and fell down. When noticed by my father I blamed my brother and he was beaten up. Once we both went late to house after playing in school and were gifted effectively. After every annual leave I remember the exam writing pad becoming a cricket bat and ice-cream ball becoming cricket ball for me and my brother. When I go with my brother walking to school whenever we notice a new bike or car we used to say “when we become rich we will buy all those cars and bikes”. Once my father gave two rupees for us to buy chocolate. I remember asking the shop keeper to give me a five star chocolate. He told me it cost five rupees. I went back and waited for few months to get another three rupees from father. I ran to the shop as fast I could and bought a five star and I and my brother shared it.Every Sunday father gives thirty rupees to buy chicken. I and my brother were made to wait hours because the shopkeeper was busy packing bigger parcels and welcoming people coming in bikes and cars. Whenever I am free I become a driver to a cycle tyre.

 The best of all my childhood memories was when my father and mother take us outside to take dress for New Year or birthday. We used to walk together for about five kilometres to textile shop. My father sacrifices his new dress because of us taking costly dresses. We thought then our father was not interested in buying new dress for him. Then we go to hotel to have a nice non-veg dinner. Our mother convinces our father to buy us ice cream for a final finishing touch. Then we walk back home happily talking about our new dresses when my father silently does come calculations by making gestures in air. We never knew what he was doing. Well he was calculating the expenses and the savings he has to make for future expenses.

Now after so much years has passed after seeing so many people having a poor childhood period going on to develop dependence to substances, drugs and other behavioural problems I realize the importance of my childhood. A famous psychologist has once told “tell me a child’s first two years I will predict his future”. Such is the importance of our childhood. When we ask a few patients what they like in childhood they used to say “I don’t like to remember that”. I learned love and affection from my mother, discipline from my father, sharing with others from my brother and patience a very important component in life from the shopkeeper who used to make us wait for hours for a few grams of chicken….thanks to all of them…

We knew we were not rich we were not wealthy but our parents never let us suffer and we were very happy. Well I know I can’t get these childhood times back again but if god gives me a chance to choose something I will say to him to give me the first ten years of my childhood back to go back and thank my parents, my brother ,my grandma and all those involved for making me what I am today. Friends it is never too late than never to thank your parents, brothers and sisters who have made you what you are today. Let it be today….

“DAYS MAY PASS BUT MY MEMORIES WILL STAY”.

                                                                                  LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE – Dr.Bevinsathya.