The Healing Touch - Redefined

Once upon a time, people lived in a world in which getting rid of a disease was considered a grave challenge, a very long process that was incredibly painful to the patient. No, I'm not talking about the ancient days when anaesthesia did not exist and surgeries used to be conducted with patients screaming aloud throughout. Even thirty years ago, people still shuddered at the thought of going to a doctor.

Treating a patient is still considered a challenge, as no two humans are alike. However, thankfully, the world has changed a lot for the better. Technology has revolutionized people's lives, and in no other field has it been more profound than in healthcare.

Take an example. Yuvraj Singh was diagnosed with lung cancer a few days after the 2011 World Cup. He was promptly given state-of-the-art treatment that lasted for a few months. And the result? He was back, hitting sixes like he always used to! Could this have been possible even a decade ago? I think not.

Yuvraj Singh's case was a famous example, where the power of modern technology in the medical field was visible to the whole world. Yet, there are hundreds of instances everyday around the globe, where modern healthcare is touching lives in ways it has never done before.

Let's see how this works. A person goes to a doctor complaining of recurrent headache. Now, what can the cause possibly be? It can be migraine, a persistent cold, or simply a result of staring for long hours at a computer screen every night. Or it can be a growing brain tumor. Now suppose our patient is one of those unfortunate rare cases with the tumor. If he were living thirty years ago, the doctor would've probably started with some basic pain-relief medicines... and by then, the tumor would've grown much bigger. Now, with X-ray systems available virtually everywhere (Wikipedia tells me that an estimated 5 billion X-ray tests were done worldwide in 2010) the doctor can identify the cause straightaway, and plan the next course of action.

What would be the next course of action?

Until recently, a brain tumor was considered a highway to death. Patients with such cases were asked to "wind up their affairs" - in other words, get ready to die. Not anymore. We now have advanced forms of radiosurgery that can make recovering from certain forms of tumors and cancers not just possible, but also relatively painless.

Not just radiosurgery, but it's amazing to see how technology has transformed the way of doing things even in a standard operation theatre. Robotic surgeries allow doctors to have much higher precision than what was possible earlier; and in addition, the patients can go home quicker as well. The list of achievements in modern healthcare is endless - right from medicines that now act upon their target in a much more precise and quick way; they surely have come a long way from when penicillin was first discovered, to transplants that now permit even multiple organs to be transferred at a time from one person to another. And it'll be interesting to watch what the future has in store for us. As the researchers toil in the labs everyday, stem cell therapy may soon occupy centrestage in being the answer to a wide variety of problems.
 

This sudden explosion of technology in medicine - not just in the developed countries, but also developing ones like ours - has led to a whole new phenomenon: medical tourism. An estimated 150,000 people travel to India every year to seek a remedy for their illnesses which may or may not be available in their own country - usually if it's available there, it's exorbitantly priced.

The contemporary lifestyle, though, has brought its fair share of problems with itself. Lack of physical activity has led to obesity becoming not something to be laughed at -  but a real, life-threatening disorder. Thankfully, modern science has an answer to that too. Bariatric surgery - though commonly reckoned as a last resort - has given a new lease of life to a large number of patients across the world. And obesity is not the only negative consequence of the modern lifestyle and environment on health - it has also resulted in several other problems such as respiratory disorders (thanks to the enormous pollution), eye problems and an accelerated rate of degenerative diseases. Science is trying to find an answer to that too.

Everyday, even as you read this, doctors, scientists and other allied professionals are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for a healthy, disease-free world. In fact, it's not limited to the medical field - contributions from nearly every branch of science are involved in the technological advancements that we've seen. And being a medical student myself, it is my responsibility too not just to serve people with the facilities that are available right now; but also to seek newer, more efficient and effective ways of curing people. Modern hi-tech innovations have not just given a ray of hope to millions of sufferers; they have also made the doctor's job a lot easier.

And it's important that we don't allow ourselves to take a break in this hunt for new innovations; but strive continuously to move forward. There is hope.

This post was written as a part of the contest How Does Modern Healthcare Touch Lives? conducted by IndiBlogger and Apollo Hospitals. Apollo Hospitals has consistently been pioneering healthcare developments in India - you can read a whole list of those here: http://www.apollohospitals.com/cutting-edge.php  

The buck stops...where?

Two shocking incidents on opposite sides of the globe. One, a brutal gang rape and murder of a young girl in Delhi; the other, murder of 20 kids and seven adults in Connecticut. Different methods, yet the common strand of inhuman violence links the two. Both of them have sparked countless protests and debates, calling for "change". Yet, what exactly is to be changed? Who is to be blamed?

Let's talk about the Delhi incident first. In the past few days, hundreds of people gathered in Delhi and other cities, clamoring against toothless laws, inept police, a misplaced mindset of the society that assumes men "superior" to women, and so on. Every one of these points has their own merits. Some even went a step further and proclaimed that it was the girl who was responsible for the crime. Now that's like saying if you have a car and someone steals it, it's you who are at fault because you bought the car; and not the fault of the person who stole it. That, of course, doesn't make any sense.

Coming back to the question, I'm positive that 95% of us men in India are the kind of those who'd NEVER rape a woman. It's the remaining 5% that cause all the trouble. So, the big issue here isn't the "general psyche of Indian men". You can't point out 5% of the group and say there's something wrong with the entire male Indian mindset. Neither can you blame the so-called modern culture shown in movies and songs. If you look at the lyrics common among American rappers, you'll find those much much worse - yet a rape doesn't happen every 22 minutes in the USA, unlike here. It's not like men in India are born "evil" and those in the West are all decent. The main difference is: a deterrent.

The 5% of men in question here are plain psychopaths. Their brains are wired in a way as to display their masculinity and vent their desires in a manner that is anti-social, and has no absolutely no care for the feelings of another person. Such men can be found in many places. However, they actually bring their flawed mentality to a conclusion only in cases where they have no fear of the repercussions that may follow. Ask any convicted rapist - all of them will say that they believed they could get away scot-free from the crime. They believed they would never get caught. They believed that there was no one to stop them. And indeed, it is THIS that is to be really blamed here. The absence of stringent security. I know that it's not possible for there to be a policeman at every corner of the street - but at least we can have security cameras. And we can have laws - very strict laws - that invoke a sense of deep fear among those psychopaths.

However, we can't simply rest in comfort by putting all the blame on weak laws and inadequate security. Why haven't these laws and security measures come into place even after 65 years of independence? Who is responsible for these? Our politicians, of course. And if we keep voting for the kind of politicians who either do not change anything or worse, are themselves convicted of rape, then even all of us - indirectly - are to be blamed. I've turned 18 last month, and together with most of my friends, I'm definitely going to vote next year, keeping in mind the character of the candidate we're voting for. Let's hope we make a difference this time.

Coming to the second part - the slaughter of 27 people in an elementary school in Connecticut, USA. Personally, I was shocked by this news as two of my cousin sisters are elementary school students in Connecticut (thankfully, they go to a different school; they're fine). And as sympathy and mourning poured in from across the world, there was another strong feeling prevalent in the air.

Hatred.

A quick Facebook search with the killer's name, Adam Lanza, would reveal that. Hundreds of people, in different pages, all asserting "Adam Lanza should rot in hell", "I Hate Adam Lanza" and other rhetorics that are best not repeated here. Yes it's true, we're all justified in hating him for having snapped the life out of 20 little innocent kids, but does he really deserved to be solely blamed for his actions?

Almost every news agency that reported the tragedy has also reported that the killer in question was a 20-year old extremely lonely and intelligent guy who had no friends at all. According to the head of security at his school, Adam was "a very scared young boy, who was very nervous around people he could trust or he refused to speak with", and "a loner". This, as psychiatrists say, is a clear indication of Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism - which is an in-born genetic condition in almost all cases. Couple it with the fact that his parents divorced in 2008 - obviously not an emotionally pleasant situation for any child, let alone an autistic one.

You see it there. Adam's father was a successful finance executive at GE, and his mother was a teacher in the school where the massacre happened. Neither of them, evidently, had much time to take care of their psychologically disabled child. If they had been more caring towards their son, could the tragedy have been averted? Yes, I think so.

Besides this, Adam's mother was also an avid gun enthusiast and according to news reports, regularly used to take her son to shooting sessions. This probably could've been another factor in his actions - which in turn, has sparked furious debates over the arms trade system in the United States.

It is widely known that possessing a gun is very easy in the US. A large number of people have been demanding, especially after this incident, that the laws have to be changed. Mass shooting has occurred many times in the past too - and considering the fact that such incidents can be brought down to a large extent - if not eliminated completely - if gun control measures are put into force, it does make sense to partly blame the laws for such repeated instances. However, guns don't kill people; people kill people. And therefore, in my opinion, what really ought to be blamed here are not the laws; but the trend in modern society which is rapidly shifting towards isolation between parents and child, and consequently the care that children need is desperately lacking - especially those who suffer from a psychological disability.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, said Mahatma Gandhi. Today, we see it happening.

This post was adjudged the winner of the contest Who is to be blamed? on WriteUpCafe.com

Waking up in a better tomorrow - Story of every girl! (a reblog)

The following is a re-blog from hTe osLt. This is my first re-blog, for a post I found really worth sharing - especially in the context of the current mass outrage in the country against the Delhi gangrape incident. All copyrights of the following belong to Vineet Digga; and not to me.

 

Waking up in a better tomorrow- Story of every girl!

She has to get up and leave bed, even before the sun does so. The alarm at the side table which keeps buzzing with the ever so enchanting melody, doesn’t understand what it is to sleep, doesn’t understand what it is to wake someone up abruptly. She sets it on snooze to sleep for another half hour, but alarms unlike humans, buzz back exactly in five minutes. She has to be up and ready, not for herself, her office is not for another 4 hours, but for her brother. He goes to school. She tries waking him telling him, ‘Rajat you’ll get late for school. Get up.’ ‘Riya, five more minutes’, he says. She ignores him for some time; but unlike the alarm, five minutes for her are not exactly five minutes. Rajat knows this. He sleeps peacefully, undisturbed by the melody.

She starts doing the household chores; her parents are out of town to return in a week. The bell rings and it’s the newspaper guy, he has been doing this since two-three days, apparently right after Maa-Papa left. He smiles wickedly when he sees her collecting the paper.

‘Bhaiya, how many times have I told you not to ring the bell?’

‘What do I do, if you lose the paper, you’ll blame me, I have to ring the bell.’

‘We won’t blame you. You just don’t ring the bell!’

‘Ab bajana toh padega, kaam he hamara, aur aapke mother father bhi ghar par nahi he tab, bajana toh padega, hum hi dhyan nahi rakhenge toh kaun rakhega,’ he grins showing his full set of teeth and unfulfilled intent. She wants to slap him on the face, but she doesn’t. It’s just a comment anyways. She shuts the door reading the paper. The headlines read... 

She wakes Rajat up now and before rushing to the washroom, he shouts, ‘I told you to wake me up, now I’ll be late, can’t you understand one simple thing Juhi?’

She is at a loss for words. She engages herself in the same household chores. Rajat comes out of the washroom, and after getting ready, leaves for his school without eating the breakfast as some sign of protest, ‘I wonder how you’re going to manage after you get married!’ he remarks before rushing out of the door. Why does it always come to marriage? Is he not going to marry? Why couldn’t he wake me up today? Why does it never happen the other way round? Oh wait, he’ll marry a girl, why does he have to care. Unopposed rules of the society.

    

The bell ring wakes her up from the slumber of thoughts; the milkman watches her as he pours the milk in the container, he spills some of it on the floor while doing it. She tells him to leave it as it is, when he says ‘let me make it up to it, otherwise you’d think I am cheating’ the wild grin clear on his face. ‘No just leave it, I have enough milk.’ Before she shuts the door, she overhears him, ‘I can see that.’

 

She gets ready for her office after preparing lunch for Rajat and Tiffin for herself. It’s going to be tough day, like every other day. Leave at 9, reach at 9. She reaches her office at 10 and everyone-from the watchmen to her colleagues, gawks her with lust filled eyes. Without any shame they stare, she catches them, they smile yet they stare. She doubts if her salwar is revealing too much. She hurries to the washroom to check. She is relieved that the looks were not ‘I see something there’ looks. She should have gotten used to them till now. ‘Silly me’, she acts.

‘Miss Pooja, are you free in the break? I know this very nice coffee place. You’ll join me?’ her mentor asks her, making it sound like a question. But she knows what it is. He solely controls her marks, and he might just deduct them. It’s just a coffee anyways.

In the break, she tries ignoring the proposition by pointing out to her Tiffin box; but he ignores it with a cheery smile. He is an expert, must have had too many girls like her to sharpen his wits. She hides her Tiffin box deep in her bag below every little useless thing like make up and papers and assignments of others. He sits close to her and puts his arm around her back; she smiles awkwardly waiting for this to end. His friends give him looks, appreciating a nice catch. He gives his friends looks, appreciating their nice catch. The girls smile looking at each other. They just smile.  

Break gets over. Ruchit comes and asks her if she would go to a movie with him. He is just a friend. He has told her he likes her, but that doesn’t matter. He laughs and tells her, ‘Anjali, it’s just a movie, not a date. It’s just that you like this movie and I haven’t watched it as well. We won’t sit together if you want.’ She likes the honesty but she can’t go out with him. She has no reason why…but she refuses.

 

She leaves office for her classes. As she walks on the pavement, a group of young boys sitting at a Chaai Shop, whistle at her. They must be in 11-12, yet so shameless. They catch her off guard and she reacts in the usual way, ‘Ghar me maa behan nahi he kya?’ One of the kids faking heartbreak cries foully, ‘Maa-Behan toh he, Biwi nahi he, tum banogi?’ Her whole body shivers with fear. What is this generation going to become? Who will teach these young boys to respect woman? Isn’t our country on the brink of a gigantic moral catastrophe?

She will bunk classes today. She wants to be alone. Her phone vibrates and the message reads, ‘where are you? I am soooo bored.’ A smile takes over her sullen face, finally there’s someone who cares about her. She updates him with all that happened today. He is extra sweet today; she wonders why’s he not angry, why’s he not telling her go date her mentor, why’s he not fighting. Maybe she is just over-thinking, he seems to be in a good mood today and after all he loves her. They talk for some time, and he asks her if she could bunk classes today, she tells him she already has.

‘Great!!! Where are you right now, I will pick you up. Let’s go somewhere. I loveee you, Sapna!’

In half hour, he is there in his car. They go to the City Centre mall; he buys her her favorite handbag. They eat at her favorite Chinese restaurant. She feels so light. All her worries fade even if for some time. He asks her what she’d want to do now. She says ‘anything you want’. They sit in his car and he kisses her on her lips. She doesn’t enjoy it. She ignores the unannounced kiss. ‘He loves me and it’s his right’ she thinks. They reach the place where he lives. She gives him a surprised look and asks him pointing to herself with mock despair, ‘Dude, you forgot to drop this at her place!’ He smiles and offers her to come upstairs. She adjusts her dress, meeting his parents, big deal for her. They reach his flat. The door is locked. Wait. Why is the door locked? He unlocks it and suggests her to get in.

She enters speculating what is going on when he grabs her from behind and starts kissing her like crazy. ‘Sahil, what are you doing?’ ‘There’s no one in my home, Aarti!’ he says while groping her front. ‘Sahil, you should have told me this.’ But he doesn’t listen; he keeps on touching her body everywhere. It all happens so fast, she has no time to comprehend. Her brain freezes. He turns her around and plants his lips on hers. She shuts her eyes. She pushes him aside. He is surprised. ‘What are you doing?’ Her eyes are watery and can break loose any time. He doesn’t see it; he pulls her closer and unknots her salwar. He pulls it off in one go and there she stands, half naked in front of someone who feels like a stranger to her now. She feels ashamed. She tries to hide herself in herself. He touches her where no one ever has, violating her privacy, scarring her soul. It’s probably a nightmare and she is going to wake up anytime. But she doesn’t wake up and he doesn’t stop; his hands measuring every part of her young unripe body, touching it, disgracing it.

Open it…Take it…Everyone does it…You know how much I love you… it’s no big deal…

But when he finally touches her there…she reacts. She forces him aside and a slap lands right on his face. She cries, ‘stop it’, with tears streaming down her eyes, ‘stop it I say’.

Unashamed, he tries again, but she is determined, she stops him. He requests her, he begs but to no avail. His big fat male ego kicks in. He slaps her this time, “Get out of my house; I have many bitches waiting for me.”

Shocked and shaken, she stares at the face of ‘the love of my life’, ‘my first love’, ‘my cutie future husband.’ Tears evaporate with all the feelings and blankness sinks in. All her future plans which took so much of her thoughts come crashing down to nothingness. She is going to judge every man based on this experience. Will she ever be able to love someone with all sincerity? One wonders. She breaks yet she gets strong. The lady in her has died, or will in some days with some more incidents like this where her trust is broken so carelessly.  

 She wears her salwar with messed up hair and smudged kajal all over her face, she leaves his house. He pleads going down on his knees, he asks her to stay, ‘Sorry, Priyanka, it got out of my hands, sorry, you were being rude. Don’t leave, please.’ But she has no reason to stay, she leaves.

She walks till her home, a good 40 minutes from his house, throbbing people out of her way, walking like a drunk and shouting on the street like a drunk, ‘they use you, and they throw you’, scaring people away from her. She smiles, she feels happy for some moments when they all shrug her, being ignored feels nice. She laughs wildly. And weeps silently.

She reaches her home which is finally less broken than she herself is. It’s so dark; she feels the negative energy all around her circling her, laughing, with voices in her head telling her how independent she really is, how desperate she is for love and affection. She sits on the sofa and takes out her Tiffin box. She smiles coyly and philosophizes to her Tiffin box, ‘you know Tiffin you’re just like me. My aspirations and goals are hidden deep below all the useless other things some of which are not even mine like you. You know, it would have been so much better had my parents killed me before I was born. I know they say female infanticide is a crime. But living here is worse. At least, I wouldn’t have to see this male dominated hypocritical ‘equal for all’ sad society, where I am the reason for my rape, where I am told to wear proper clothes, where I am being molested by a mob and taken a video of, where people make filth-filled comments and get applauded, where I have no respect and rights. I know Tiffin I am over reacting, but this is my last resort. I know you are not getting my points clearly, you are a Tiffin anyways, dumb Tiffin. Let me give you a practical example. How would you feel if I take bite by bite, everything that you hold in you-your reason for existence, and eat it just like the society does to us, taking everything part by part that we hold and KILL it? Society surely wants to slay my ambitions and dreams but you know what that’ll never happen because I am a woman and I am bloody strong.’  

She checks her phone, and sets the alarm before the-sun-rises time and sleeps hoping to wake up in a better tomorrow.

And the headlines read...

Student gang-raped; Trinamool student leader ‘involved’ 
Panchayat bans love marriage, bars women below 40 from shopping
Khap panchayat bars girls from wearing jeans
Drunkards molest girl as public watches and police dithers

and numerous other incidents reported daily in the papers and the ‘small’ Eve teasing incidents that are never stated and recorded. I am deeply sorry if I hurt anyone’s sentiments, because I don’t intend to. Do share the post and your love. Thank you.