A patient walks into a clinic carrying a laboratory report. The vitamin D result is circled in red. The laboratory has marked it as low. “Doctor, is this why I am always tired?” Another patient complains of back pain and has already started taking vitamin D capsules after watching a health video. A third has…

A weighing scale can sometimes deliver good news. A few kilograms disappear after regular exercise, better food choices and a sustained reduction in calorie intake. Clothes begin to fit more loosely. Blood sugar and blood pressure may improve. In such circumstances, weight loss is usually the result of a deliberate change in lifestyle. But sometimes…

“Everything suddenly started spinning.” “I felt as though I was going to faint.” “The room was not moving, but I felt completely unsteady.” All three descriptions may be called “dizziness”, but medically they can mean very different things. Dizziness is one of the most common symptoms encountered in everyday medical practice, and in most cases…

Kidneys can lose 90% of their function without any warning. You can indeed lose a significant part of your kidney function and still wake up feeling completely normal the next morning. You may be eating normally. Sleeping normally. Passing urine normally. There may be no pain, no fever, and no obvious swelling. And yet, quietly,…

Yes, eating junk food is a major contributor to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Junk food and ultraprocessed items can contribute to fat build-up in the liver through several mechanisms. Sweetened drinks and candies contain fructose, which is metabolised by the liver and can contribute to fat production. Fried and fast foods are often high…

“I just slipped.” Those three words are often enough for a family to dismiss an elderly person’s fall. The person gets up, checks for a bruise, perhaps complains of some pain, and within a few hours everyone assumes the episode is over. But in an older adult, a fall may be much more than an…

“I have people around me, but I still feel alone.” “I speak to so many people every day, but I have nobody I can really talk to.” “I come home to an empty house.” “I keep myself busy, but something still feels missing.” These are statements we often hear in society. These may sound like…

“I had this pain before, so I took the same tablet.” “My friend takes this steroid whenever she has a bad allergy.” “It is herbal, so it cannot harm me.” “I take this acidity tablet every day. It is harmless.” “My vitamin supplement is good for everyone.” These statements sound ordinary. In fact, they represent…

The time has come to take a closer look at Bharat’s health journey — what has changed, what has improved and what still needs to be done There was a time when the story of Indian healthcare was dominated by infectious diseases, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of doctors, high maternal and infant mortality, poor access to…

“I am always tired.” “I feel weak even after sleeping.” “I get breathless when I climb stairs.” “Maybe it is because I am getting older.” These complaints are extremely common. But sometimes, they are not simply the result of a busy life, poor sleep or ageing. They may be signs of anaemia, a condition that…