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Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service. The IANS has its main offices located in Noida.

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Boost immunity and don't fret over pH level of coronavirus
2262 days ago
Lifestyle

Boost immunity and don't fret over pH level of coronavirus

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) Amid the new coronavirus scare are several health myths going viral on social media platforms and one of those is: Improve your pH levels as "the pH for coronavirus varies from 5.5 to 8.5".## The message on WhatsApp reads: "All we need to do to beat coronavirus is to take more of an alkaline foods that are above the above pH level of the Virus. Some of which are: Lemon - 9.9pH, Lime - 8.2pH, Avocado - 15.6pH, Garlic - 13.2pH, Mango - 8.7pH, Tangerine - 8.5pH, Pineapple - 12.7pH and Orange - 9.2pH".## It further adds: "Increase your intake of the above to help boost your immune system. Do not keep this information to yourself only. Pass it to all your family and friends".## According to health experts, boosting your immunity is important but pH level of the new coronavirus is only misinformation.## "Around this time, it is very important to deal with any information cautiously. There is a lot of information available which has no basis medically or those that can't be authenticated," Dr Manish Mathur, Specialist-Internal Medicine on Lybrate, an online healthcare platform, told IANS.## "The World Health Organisation (WHO) hasn't released any data on the coronavirus' pH level. In general, alkaline food items are essential to build the body's immunity. The stronger the body's immunity, the better will it fight infections and diseases," Mathur noted.## pH is a measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a base. pH is really a measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the water.## "Consumption of lemon, orange, pineapple and other alkaline food items are suggested by doctors. It, however, must not be perceived that consumption of these food items will prevent anyone from catching the coronavirus," said Mathur.## The total number of positive coronavirus cases in India reached 1,071 on Monday, including the foreign nationals, with 942 active cases, according to the Health Ministry.## According to Bimal Chhajer, Director, SAAOL Heart Centre in New Delhi, though it may not be a well-established fact that consuming foods above pH value 7 may help in fighting against it, but these foods are considered as good immunity boosters and aid in improving the immunity which can help the body to fight against any infection.## "Ten major foods to boost our immunity include eating citrus foods like orange, lemon, amla and kiwi. Broccoli, spinach, red Pepper (Shimla mirch), and other green leafy vegetables increase our immunity. A combination of apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, honey and lemon is also a very good way to increase immunity," Chhajer told IANS.## Probiotics like curd or yogurt taken at room temperature helps increase immunity.## Any fruit/vegetables, especially red ones like papaya, carrot and beet also provide Vitamin A to boost immunity.## "Green tea, tulsi and cinnamon drinks are also healthy as far as immunity is concerned. Turmeric or haldi extract has the ability to boost immunity. Black grapes has very high antioxidants and, thus, good for immunity," said Chhajer.## Stay tuned...

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How people with mental disorder can live longer
2262 days ago
Lifestyle

How people with mental disorder can live longer

London, March 30 (IANS) Tackling unhealthy lifestyle factors would provide the greatest benefit in increasing life expectancy among those with severe mental illness in these difficult times, report researchers.## "Our study shows that by addressing health behaviors, healthcare engagement and social issues of people with severe mental illness, we could potentially increase their life expectancy by about four to seven years," said study lead author Dr. Alex Dregan from King's College London in the UK.## Healthy interventions that aim to stop smoking among people with schizophrenia and approaches to lessen sedentary behavior among people with bipolar disorders appear to be the most promising ways to increase life expectancy -- showing an increase of two years and five months and an increase of one year and three months, respectively.## Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.## Currently, people with serious mental illness tend to live on average 12 to 15 years less than those in the general population.## Nearly 80 percent of deaths of those with serious mental illness are caused by common diseases such as heart disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, cancer, and digestive disorders.## All these diseases can be partly attributed to unhealthy lifestyle factors, social isolation and deprivation, and inadequate use of healthcare services.## The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, aimed to estimate how much tackling these changeable factors in the lives of people with SMI could translate into a gain in life expectancy.## Using data from systemic reviews, the researchers estimated the level of association between a range of different risk factors and the total number of deaths amongst those with SMI.## The factors were categorized into three groups: behavioral risk factors such as smoking and physical inactivity, healthcare risk factors such as uptake of treatment and access to healthcare resources and social risk factors such as stigma and exclusion.## By considering the effectiveness of interventions aimed at changing these factors the researchers then calculated the gains in life expectancy that could occur.## Examples of interventions to address the risk factors were smoking cessation initiatives, improving access to antipsychotic medication and educative approaches to reduce stigma.## "Gains in life expectancies were also estimated later in life and at 65 years the projected gain was three years for bipolar disorder and four years for schizophrenia," the researchers said.## Stay tuned...

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Indians with OCD should avoid watching news around COVID-19
2265 days ago
Lifestyle

Indians with OCD should avoid watching news around COVID-19

New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) At a time when over 1.3 billion Indians have been asked to stay indoors, people who are claustrophobic or suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are finding it difficult to obey the 'Lakshmana Rekha Prime Minister Narendra Modi has drawn in from of all homes.## According to health experts, such people should first unplug themselves from the news around new coronavirus (COVID-19) and divert their minds towards constructive thoughts and engage in indoor games.## "People with OCD and those who are claustrophobic need to try and avoid reading or seeing too much negative news. Instead, they can opt for completing the work pending for some time which is a constructive channelization of the energy," said Dr Sameer Malhotra, Director, Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.## "If under treatment, do not stop the medications at this juncture, and if the symptoms are significant, psychiatric intervention may also be required," Malhotra told IANS.## Indians are currently living with 21-day nationwide lockdown, which started from Tuesday midnight.## According to the World Health Organization (WHO), OCD is the sixth most disabling psychiatric disorder in the world.## Dr Samir Parikh, Psychiatrist and the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare said that in the face of a pandemic, if you have claustrophobia, OCD or any other form of phobia or anxiety, it is important to ensure that you continue to follow your treatment regimen.## "Stay connected to your doctors, take your medications regularly and also ensure that you continue to take regular therapy sessions through teleconsultations,' Parikh emphasized.## Family too would play a very pertinent role in providing support and being understanding of the challenge being face by the individual.## "Concurrently, it is important to ensure that one engages in maintaining a work-life balance, take care of certain lifestyle-related elements such as the sleep-wake cycle and also engage in activities of interest during this period," Parikh noted.## Malhotra said that it is time to rationalize negative thoughts into positive and meaningful thoughts.## "Discuss general topics, try and engage in healthy conversations at home. It is also the best time to bond with family members," he added.## For more and latest news about Life-Style, stay tuned with us.

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Acupuncture can be safe option to treat migraines
2266 days ago
Lifestyle

Acupuncture can be safe option to treat migraines

Beijing, March 26 (IANS) Acupuncture can reduce migraine headaches, say researchers, adding that doctors should provide information about acupuncture as an option when discussing preventive treatment strategies with patients.## "Acupuncture can be recommended as a prophylactic treatment and clinicians should provide patients with information about acupuncture as an option when discussing prophylactic treatment strategies," said researchers from China.## For people with frequent migraines, preventive treatments to reduce headache frequency are available, but not all patients respond well to drug therapy and many prefer to avoid it.## Evidence for the benefit of acupuncture on migraine prevention has been mixed, according to the study.## For the findings, published in the journal The BMJ, researchers set out to compare the effectiveness of manual (real) acupuncture with sham (placebo) acupuncture or usual care.## Their findings are based on 147 patients (average age 37) with a history of migraine without aura who were recruited from seven hospitals in China from June 2016 to November 2018.## None of the patients had received acupuncture before, and all were instructed not to take any painkillers or start any other treatments during the trial.## After four weeks of baseline assessment, patients were randomly allocated to receive either 20 sessions of manual acupuncture at true acupuncture points, 20 sessions of non-penetrating sham acupuncture at non-acupuncture points, or usual care (including advice on lifestyle and self-management) over eight weeks.## Over the next 12 weeks, the researchers compared changes in migraine days and migraine attacks per four-week period from baseline.## Compared with sham acupuncture, manual acupuncture resulted in a greater reduction in migraine days and migraine attacks. Sham acupuncture resulted in a minor reduction in migraine attacks compared with usual care.## According to the researchers, no severe adverse events were reported.## "These results show that treatment with manual acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture or usual care, resulted in a significantly higher reduction in the frequency of migraine days and migraine attacks," the study authors said.## Stay tuned...

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Novel coronavirus may not spread through tears
2266 days ago
Lifestyle

Novel coronavirus may not spread through tears

Singapore, March 26 (IANS) Contrary to some reports, researchers now claim that new coronavirus doesn't spread via tears and it is unlikely that infected patients are shedding virus through eye fluid.## While researchers are certain that coronavirus spreads through mucus and droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing, it is unclear if the virus is spread through other bodily fluids, such as tears, said the study published in the journal Ophthalmology.## There is one important caveat, though.## None of the patients in the study had conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye. However, health officials believe pink eye develops in just one percent to three percent of people with coronavirus.## For the findings, researchers at National University Hospital in Singapore collected tear samples from 17 patients with COVID-19 from the time they showed symptoms until they recovered about 20 days later.## Neither viral culture nor reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detected the virus in their tears throughout the two-week course of the disease, the researchers said.## The study researcher Ivan Seah also took samples from the back of the nose and throat during the same time period.## The findings showed that when a sick person coughs or talks, virus particles can spray from their mouth or nose into another person's face.## You're most likely to inhale these droplets through your mouth or nose, but they can also enter through your eyes, according to the research.## The study also revealed that you can also become infected by touching something that has the virus on it -- like a table or doorknob -- and then touching your eyes.## While the patients' tears were clear of the virus, their noses and throats were teeming with COVID-19, the researchers said.## The authors wrote that the findings, coupled with the low incidence of the pink eye among infected patients, suggest that the risk of virus transmission through tears is low.## The researchers hope their work helps to guide more research into preventing virus transmission through more significant routes, such as droplets and fecal-oral spread.## Stay tuned...

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Anxious about COVID-19? Stress can hamper sperm quality
2268 days ago
Lifestyle

Anxious about COVID-19? Stress can hamper sperm quality

New York, March 24 (IANS) Prolonged fear and anxiety owing to stressors like the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can not only take a toll on a person's mental health but also have a lasting impact on sperm composition that could affect future offspring, warn researchers.## The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, outlines a biological mechanism for how a father's experience with stress can influence fetal brain development in the womb.## According to the researchers, the effects of paternal stress can be transferred to offspring through changes in the extracellular vesicles that then interact with maturing sperm. Extracellular vesicles are small membrane-bound particles that transport proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids between cells.## They are produced in large amounts in the reproductive tract and play an integral role in sperm maturation.## "Properly managing stress can not only improve mental health and other stress-related ailments, but it can also help reduce the potential lasting impact on the reproductive system that could impact future generations," said study researcher Tracy Bale from the University of Maryland in the US.## To examine a novel biological role for extracellular vesicles in transferring dad's stress to sperm, the researchers examined extracellular vesicles from mice following treatment with the stress hormone corticosterone.## After treatment, the extracellular vesicles showed dramatic changes in their overall size as well as their protein and small RNA content.## When sperm were incubated with these previously "stressed" extracellular vesicles prior to fertilizing an egg, the resulting mouse pups showed significant changes in patterns of early brain development, and as adults these mice were also significantly different than controls for how they responded to stress themselves.## To see if similar differences occurred in human sperm, the researchers recruited students to donate sperm each month for six months, and complete questionnaires about their perceived stress state in the preceding month.## They found that students who had experienced elevated stress in months prior showed significant changes in the small RNA content of their sperm, while those who had no change in stress levels experienced little or no change.## These data confirm a very similar pattern found in the mouse study.## "Our study shows that the baby's brain develops differently if the father experienced a chronic period of stress before conception, but we still do not know the implications of these differences," said Bale.## According to the researchers, stress-induced changes in the male reproductive system take place at least a month after the stress is attenuated and life has resumed its normal patterns.## "It is important to realize that social distancing does not have to mean social isolation, especially with modern technologies available to many of us," said Joshua Gordon, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health in his web message about coping with coronavirus.## "Connecting with our friends and loved ones, whether by high tech means or through simple phone calls, can help us maintain ties during stressful days ahead and will give us the strength to weather this difficult passage".## For more and latest news about Life-Style, stay tuned with us.

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Mental stress may trigger a second heart attack
2271 days ago
Lifestyle

Mental stress may trigger a second heart attack

New York, March 21 (IANS) For those who have survived a heart attack, mental stress -- and not physical stress -- may be a stronger predictor of a repeat heart attack or even dying from heart disease, warn researchers. ## The team at Emory University investigated whether myocardial ischemia -- when blood flow to the heart is reduced such that the heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen -- induced by mental stress was associated with poor outcomes among heart attack survivors, and how this type of stress testing compares with conventional stress brought on by exercise. ## Among more than 300 young and middle-aged individuals enrolled in the study, those who endured myocardial ischemia with mental stress had a two-fold higher likelihood of having another heart attack or dying from heart disease compared with those who did not have cardiac ischemia induced by mental stress. ## "In our study, myocardial ischemia provoked by mental stress was a better risk indicator than what we were able to see with conventional stress testing," said Viola Vaccarino from Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta and the study's principal investigator. ## This is the only study of its kind in this relatively young adult population of heart attack survivors. ## "These data point to the important effect that psychological stress can have on the heart and on the prognosis of patients with heart disease," she added. ## The investigators studied 306 adults aged 61 years or younger (50 years on average and ranging from 22-61 years), who had been in the hospital for a heart attack in the previous eight months. ## Traditional stress tests, in which someone exercises on a treadmill or takes a medicine that makes the heart beat faster and harder as if the person was actually exercising, have long been used to check blood flow to the heart and gauge the risk of heart problems. ## Taking into account patients' psychological stress may help clinicians better evaluate the risk of recurrent heart attacks or death seen in some patients surviving a heart attack. ## Overall, mental stress induced myocardial ischemia occurred in 16 per cent of patients and conventional ischemia in 35 per cent, suggesting that traditional ischemia due to exercise or drug-induced stress is more common. ## Over a three-year follow-up, 10 per cent of patients (28 individuals) had another heart attack and two died of heart-related problems. ## The incidence of heart attack or cardiovascular-related death was more than doubled in patients with mental stress induced ischemia compared with those without mental stress ischemia, occurring in 10 (20 per cent) and 20 (8 per cent) patients, respectively. ## "Patients who developed ischemia with mental stress had more than two times the risk of having a repeat heart attack or dying from heart disease compared with those who did not develop ischemia during mental stress," Vaccarino elaborated. ## What this means is that the propensity to have a reduction in blood flow to the heart during acute psychological stress poses substantial future risk to these patients, ## Such reduction in blood flow, when it occurs in real life, could trigger a heart attack or serious heart rhythm problems, she said. ## Another interesting finding, according to Vaccarino, is that ischemia with mental stress and with conventional stress were not strongly related to each other, suggesting that they occur through different pathways. ## "This points to the fact that stress provoked by emotions has a distinct mechanism of risk for heart disease and its complications compared with physical stress," she noted. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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This scientist pioneered handwashing practice 173 years ago
2272 days ago
Lifestyle

This scientist pioneered handwashing practice 173 years ago

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) As the deadly new coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread and hand sanitizers disappear at both retail and online stores, Google researchers have dug out a German-Hungarian physician and scientist known as the "saviour of mothers" by proposing handwashing way back in 1847.## Celebrating the efforts of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis in the times of hand sanitizing and cleanliness to prevent the spread the germs on top of every human's mind of Earth.## Born in 1818, Semmelweis was an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures.## He discovered that the incidence of puerperal fever (also known as "childbed fever") could be drastically cut by the use of hand disinfection in clinics.## Puerperal fever was common in mid-19th-century hospitals and often fatal.## Semmelweis proposed the practice of washing hands with chlorinated lime solutions in 1847 while working in Vienna General Hospital's First Obstetrical Clinic, where doctors' wards had three times the mortality of midwives' wards.## He later published his findings in a book titled 'Etiology, Concept, and Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever'.## Despite various publications of results where hand-washing reduced mortality to below 1 percent, Semmelweis's observations conflicted with the established scientific and medical opinions at that time and his ideas were rejected by the medical community.## Hand cleanliness was largely ignored, rejected or ridiculed at that time.## He was dismissed from the hospital for political reasons and harassed by the medical community in Vienna, being eventually forced to move to Budapest.## In 1865, Semmelweis supposedly suffered a nervous breakdown and was sent to an asylum by his colleague.## He died 14 days later, at the age of 47, after being beaten by the guards, from a gangrenous wound on his right hand which might have been caused by the beating, according to media reports.## The scientist instituted a policy of using a solution of chlorinated lime (calcium hypochlorite) for washing hands between autopsy work and the examination of patients.## He did this because he found that this chlorinated solution worked best to remove the putrid smell of infected autopsy tissue, and thus perhaps destroyed the causal "poisonous" or contaminating "cadaveric" agent hypothetically being transmitted by this material.## For more and latest news about Life-Style, stay tuned with us.

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Too much or too little sleep not good for heart: Study
2273 days ago
Lifestyle

Too much or too little sleep not good for heart: Study

New York, March 19 (IANS) Getting too much or too little sleep, may be bad for your heart, say researchers, adding that people who get seven or eight hours of sleep per night have less stiffness in their arteries, which is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke. ## "The message, based on our findings, is 'sleep well, but not too well.' Getting too little sleep appears bad for your health but too much seems to be harmful as well," said study lead author Evangelos Oikonomou from Yale University in the US. ## For this analysis, researchers assessed sleep patterns in 1,752 people living in the Corinthia region of Greece using a standard questionnaire. ## They ranged in age from 40 to 98 years, with a mean age of 64 years old ## Participants were then divided into one of four groups based on self-reported sleep duration: normal (seven to eight hours a night), short sleep duration (six to seven hours a night), very short sleep duration (less than six hours a night) or long sleep duration (greater than eight hours a night). ## At the time of the study, each participant also underwent ultrasound imaging to measure the thickness of the inner part of the arterial wall. ## Thickening of the arterial walls reflects plaque buildup and is associated with an increased risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events. ## The researchers found that even after accounting for other known risk factors for heart disease or stroke, people who slept less than six hours or more than eight hours a night had significantly greater odds of having plaque buildup in the walls of their carotid arteries--a 54 per cent and 39 per cent increase, respectively--compared with those who got seven or eight hours of shut eye. ## The study adds to mounting evidence that sleep patterns, similar to diet and exercise, may play a defining role in someone's cardiovascular risk. ## "We don't fully understand the relationship between sleep and cardiovascular health. It could be that sympathetic nervous system withdrawal or a slowing [of this system] that occurs during sleep may act as a recovery phase for [usual] vascular and cardiac strain," Oikonomou said. ## "Moreover, short sleep duration may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors--for example, unhealthy diet, stress, being overweight or greater alcohol consumption--whereas longer sleep duration may be associated with a less active lifestyle pattern and lower physical activity," Oikonomou added. ## The research is scheduled to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology on March 28-30 in the US. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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Have family 'me-time' in depressing times but with precaution
2273 days ago
Lifestyle

Have family 'me-time' in depressing times but with precaution

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Amid the social distancing, family members can still find some 'me-time' together but with precautions and being vigilant, health experts said on Thursday. ## Although various state governments have banned large gatherings -- Delhi Government has made an order to avoid gathering of over 25 people eat at one place - families can plan indoor parties with precaution. ## "Close family members can enjoy their evenings and dinners but with precautions and being vigilant. People should be aware about the do's and don'ts and if a family consist of elderly person (above the age of 60 years) or those who have chronic, stable illnesses, like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, should definitely avoid even the smallest of gathering," Dr RS Mishra, associate director and consultant, internal medicine, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Saket, told IANS. "The so-called social animals have to act like responsible citizens and need to understand the situation. The only definitive and well proven way of preventing the n-COVID 2019 is social distancing," said Mishra. ## Small family gatherings are still allowed in India also people have to be vigilant that whoever is attending the gathering should not have any illnesses. ## "Individualism needs to be replaced by altruism and social responsibility. We are in a time where our collective social responsible efforts can help us collectively as a society beat the corona epidemic in our country," said Dr Samir Parikh, Director, Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare. ## "This is not about individuals, their social needs, their likes and needs- it is about ensuring that we contribute to the government efforts, comply with the medical advisories- we maintain social distancing, ensure the right hygiene and sanitizing practices. ## "Stay connected, talk to family friends, use social media, take time for your own self- but maintain social distancing," Parikh elaborated. ## With one more death reported from Punjab on Thursday, India's death toll due to novel coronavirus reached four. The earlier three deaths were reported from Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra. ## In India, there are 167 active cases of Covid-19 cases at present, while 15 people have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital. ## "The precautions include hand hygiene, maintaining distance between two people, and avoid anybody who has a recent travel history to other countries or who is not well to be a part of the gathering," said Mishra. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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Negative thoughts, bad sleep habits can depress teens: Study
2273 days ago
Lifestyle

Negative thoughts, bad sleep habits can depress teens: Study

Sydney, March 19 (IANS) Nagging negative thoughts - and striving for perfection - keep teenagers awake at night, raising their chance of becoming depressed and anxious, say researchers. ## An online study of almost 400 adolescents aged 14 to 20 years confirmed the link, leading researchers at Flinders University in Australia, to recommend alternative treatments for repetitive negative thinking and perfectionism in dealing with delayed sleep and mental health problems among teenagers. ## The study, published in the journal Sleep Health,confirmed a link between repeated negative thinking and delayed sleep. ## "Repetitive negative thinking is habit forming and it can significantly contribute to making sleep difficult and causing depressed mood in teenagers, who already like to stay up late at night," said study researcher Michael Gradisar, Professor at Flinders University in Australia. ## "This study supports the need to recognise repetitive negative thinking in preventing and treating sleep problems, along with individual differences in perfectionism and mood," Gradisar added. ## According to the researchers, the role of repetitive negative thinking and perfectionism in explaining the link between sleep onset problems and depressed mood has important clinical implications through providing possible treatment targets. ## International studies indicates depression affects between three per cent and eigh per cent of adolescents. It is often recurring and may continue to develop into more severe depressive disorders during adulthood. ## In teenagers, depression can cause poor concentration, a loss of interest in schoolwork, difficulties in peer relationships, and even suicide, the researchers said. ## The researchers stresses that sleep plays an important part in preventing and treating depression in teenagers. ## Parents and carers can implement better sleep health by encouraging regular bedtime routines during the school week and weekends, and encouraging mobile phones to be turned off earlier in the evening, according to the study. ## According to the researchers, busy lifestyles, stress and screen time makes self-help and accessible resources for better sleep increasingly important. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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Fear psychosis grips Indians down with seasonal cold or flu
2274 days ago
Lifestyle

Fear psychosis grips Indians down with seasonal cold or flu

New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Weather change that is associated with common cold cases in India in the month of March-April has left millions of people who are down with seasonal cough or cold symptoms self-isolating themselves -- an exercise which is only creating unnecessary fear in the country, say health experts. ## Doctors are flooded with patients who have normal cold or flu - along with conditions like anxiety and stress -- in the OPDs. They are very fearful and assuming it might be new coronavirus (COVID-19) disease although they just have seasonal symptoms. ## "People having cough or cold symptoms are somewhat scared in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some might also fear disclosure in fear of being isolated. People with an anxious and oversensitive predisposition or hypochondriacal and obsessive symptoms are likely to worry a lot and engage in an unreasonably restricted lifestyle," Dr Sameer Malhotra, Head, department of mental health and behavioural science at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket told IANS. ## Despite the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) declaring there is no community transmission of the new coronavirus yet in the country, people in their sixties suffering from pre-existing conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure are becoming paranoid. ## "They want to get themselves screened for it whether or not the symptoms fits the disease. At the same time, they're also worried about their family, especially the elderly," said Dr Mugdha Tapdiya, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj. ## Health experts are getting flu test, complete blood count and chest X-ray done wherever it is required. ## "Once results are not suggestive of possibility of coronavirus disease, patients are at peace. If there is breathlessness or there are findings in chest, we also suggest CT scan of the chest area to be done," said Tapdiya. ## Yes, there is a social pressure, admit doctors. ## "In fact, one girl who came to me from an NGO wanted to work from home because she had lots of elderly colleagues. ## "She said since I'm suffering from flu, they're asking me to take leave and sit at home, which will be without pay. So there is a lot of social pressure especially in the private companies where people are not getting paid if they're sitting at home, that's why they're hiding symptoms," Tapdiya told IANS. ## Our message to the society is that not every cold, cough and fever is COVID-19 disease. ## "We need to understand that we are still at the stage II phase of the disease. COVID 19 is still prevalent among the travellers who are from overseas. We need to just relax and not be fearful for our fellow colleagues and household members as well who have symptoms of cold, cough and fever," said Tapdiya. ## All with symptoms, however, must seek regular medical consultation without any fear. ## Malhotra said that it is important to follow the advisory issued by the government and doctors. ## "One does need to be cautious and careful. At the same time, there is a need for more ICU beds and hospitals to avoid any shortage of services. The place of isolation should be comfortable both to the body and the mind, and clean," her added. ## Even during the phase of isolation or restricted socialisation, one should try to engage in some constructive hobbies like reading, sorting one's paperwork and listening to music, etc to avoid excessive worry. ## For more and the latest news about Lifestyle, stay tuned to us.

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