The COVID-19 pandemic may be over, but our immune systems are still feeling the impact. After years of battling constant viral threats, from COVID-19 to seasonal flu and other infections, our body’s defense system is exhausted. Many people continue to experience lingering inflammation, frequent illnesses, and slower recovery times. This extended state of immune stress has compromised us further to chronic illness, including autoimmune diseases and even neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. So why is our immune system still in trouble? And how do we give it its power back? Understanding immune exhaustion is the beginning of rebuilding our body's natural immunity.

A weakened immune system makes people more susceptible to disease, mental illnesses, and even sleep disorders. Now, new research indicates that immune system depletion may play an important role in the onset of Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurologic disorder that compromises movement and cognition.

Role of Inflammation in Parkinson's Disease

Dysfunctional immune response is a leading cause of long-standing inflammation within the body, that has been found to contribute towards a multitude of conditions, including cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

As people age, their immune system naturally becomes less effective. This deterioration, referred to as immune exhaustion, may be a key contributor to the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease. Rebecca Wallings, a Parkinson’s Foundation Launch Award grant recipient and senior postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida, believes that an accumulation of exhausted immune cells could be driving neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s patients.

How a Tired Immune System Might Affect Parkinson's?

Parkinson's disease is most commonly linked with the degeneration and loss of dopaminergic neurons—motor nerve cells that produce dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter for movement. While researchers have long suspected inflammation is involved in this neurodegeneration, the mechanisms are not yet well understood.

Wallings' study is on immune cell exhaustion, a process by which aging immune cells fail to control immune responses effectively. Her research indicates that instead of dampening inflammation in Parkinson's patients, attempts should be made to rejuvenate the immune system to regain its functionality.

Energy Deficiency in Immune Cells

One of the major findings of Wallings' work is the function of mitochondrial impairment in immune cell exhaustion. Mitochondria are commonly called the powerhouses of cells, as they are vital for generating energy. As mitochondria age and become inefficient, immune cells fail to function well, potentially accelerating neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease.

Wallings has found that mutations in the LRRK2 gene, a recognized genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease, are linked with defective mitochondrial function and immune cell exhaustion. Her current work includes testing various therapeutic approaches to restore mitochondrial function in immune cells with the potential to enhance the immune system and potentially prevent or treat Parkinson's disease.

Will Rejuvenating the Immune System Help in Treatment?

For decades, the standard practice in treating Parkinson's has been to suppress brain inflammation. Yet Wallings' work indicates that instead of slowing down immune responses, restoring the immune system could be a more successful strategy. By addressing mitochondrial impairment and immune resilience, researchers can potentially reverse or slow down Parkinson's disease.

Wallings is now looking into how to rejuvenate immune cells by fixing mitochondria. She studies immune cells from patients with Parkinson's as well as from healthy subjects and performs experiments on animal models to determine if rejuvenation of the immune system could result in improved disease outcomes.

Lifestyle Factors That May Affect Parkinson's Risk

While there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, some lifestyle adjustments may decrease the chances of developing the illness. Since neurodegenerative diseases are associated with chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction, developing habits that enhance immune function might prove helpful.

Diet: There is evidence to suggest that eating in accordance with the Mediterranean or MIND diets, both high in antioxidants, healthy fats, and anti-inflammatory foods, can encourage brain wellness and reduce Parkinson's risk.

Avoiding Dangerous Substances: Restricting alcohol and nicotine use can maintain a robust immune system and suppress inflammation.

Reducing Stress: Chronic stress weakens immune function, so methods such as meditation, exercise, and sufficient sleep can lead to improved overall well-being.

Robotic surgery has rapidly become one of the most talked-about advances in modern medicine. Yet, for many patients, the technology remains misunderstood.

The first thing to know is that the robot does not perform the operation. Every movement is directed by the surgeon. The robotic platform translates the surgeon’s hand movements into highly precise, tremor-filtered movements inside the body while providing magnified three-dimensional vision and greater instrument dexterity.

The real question, therefore, is not whether robotic surgery is better. It is whether it is the right choice for a particular patient, procedure and surgeon.

Where Robotic Surgery Can Make A Difference?

For many routine operations, conventional laparoscopy may achieve equally good outcomes. Technology should support clinical judgment, not replace it.

Patients should also recognise that outcomes depend far more on the experience of the surgical team than on the robotic system itself. Successful robotic surgery requires specialised training, structured credentialing and a coordinated operating theatre team.

Choosing an experienced surgeon can therefore be more important than choosing a hospital simply because it owns a robotic system.

Also read: 18-Year-Old In Critical Condition After Acidic Substance Allegedly Given Instead Of Anaesthetic During Surgery

Making Robotic Surgery More Accessible

Another important development is that robotic surgery is becoming more accessible. Indigenous platforms are helping expand advanced surgical care beyond a handful of metropolitan hospitals by making robotic programmes more viable for a wider range of healthcare institutions.

This gradual decentralisation means patients in Tier II and Tier III cities can increasingly access advanced minimally invasive surgery closer to home, reducing the need to travel long distances for specialised treatment.

Also read: Osteoporosis Drugs Offer New Hope For Back Pain By Blocking Disc Mineralisation: Study

Could Robotic Surgery Work Across Long Distances?

Innovation is also extending beyond the operating room. Robotic telesurgery, demonstrated successfully using Made-in-India robotic platforms, has shown that expert surgeons can operate across vast distances using secure digital networks.

While widespread adoption will require robust infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, the technology represents an important step towards improving access to specialised surgical expertise.

Also read: Surgeon Barred From Practice After Connecting Wrong Parts of Patient’s Bowels During Emergency Surgery

What Should Patients Ask Their Surgeon?

Patients should look beyond the hype and ask informed questions:

• Is robotic surgery appropriate for my condition?
• What experience does my surgeon have with this procedure?
• What are the expected benefits?
• What are the limitations and risks?
• Would conventional laparoscopy or open surgery be equally suitable?

With indigenous platforms helping decentralise robotic surgery, advanced care is becoming more accessible beyond major metros. The technology has also demonstrated the potential of interhospital telesurgery, enabling expert surgeons to operate across distances and potentially helping bridge gaps in access to highly skilled surgical expertise.

Ultimately, the future of surgery will not be shaped by machines alone. It will be shaped by skilled surgeons using intelligent technology to deliver safer, more precise and equitable patient care.

A cigarette after stress. Chewing tobacco during the day. Smoking to “calm the nerves”

But modern science is forcing us to confront the difficult truth; Tobacco does not treat mental health symptoms, in fact it quietly deepens it.

As Oncologists and physicians, we often see patients who say, “smoking makes them feel normal.” However, in reality, what they are experiencing is nothing more than the temporary relief from nicotine withdrawal not genuine emotional regulation.

Nicotine Creates A Cycle of Temporary Relief And Dependence

When we smoke or chew tobacco, nicotine stimulates dopamine release in the brain, creating a short-lived sense of relaxation or control. But overtime it leads to brain depending on nicotine to achieve the same baseline feeling again and again. The result is a vicious cycle of dependence, irritability, anxiety, and worsening emotional resilience.

Several large studies now show that long-term tobacco use is associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, sleep issues and substance dependence. A 2023 review published in BMJ found that smoking cessation will result in improvements in both anxiety and depression and an improved mood with benefits comparable to antidepressant treatment in some individuals.

Also read: Lung Health After 40: Natural Changes, Warning Signs And Ways To Protect Your Lungs

Tobacco May Worsen Anxiety, Depression And Sleep Problems

This has serious implications for the urban Indian population in regard to the increasing prevalence of mental exhaustion, lack of social support, digital overload, work-related stress and lack of sleep. Tobacco often enters quietly during vulnerable moments of college pressure, workplace stress, loneliness, grief and gradually shifts from “social habit” to psychological crutch.

Although they think they believe in tobacco, many of them use it, thinking that they are using it to cope with their emotional symptoms, when in fact they are making the symptoms worse.

Also, recognize the biology of tobacco use. For example, the use of nicotine will result in long-term changes in how well your body handles emotional stress because of the role of long-term nicotine exposure in altering the system of cortisol regulation and the stress response pathways in neurons. So, with time, it will become harder and harder for a person to control his/her emotional response to stress because his/her body will not be able to do it. Thus, tobacco has a negative influence on the recovery process from emotional responses to stress, rather than a beneficial one.

Also read: Air Pollution May Increase The Risk Of Painful Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares, Study Finds

How Nicotine Alters The Body’s Stress Response?

Tobacco is a significant preventable risk factor for oral, head and neck, lung, oesophageal, pancreatic and bladder cancers. When many patients arrive at cancer centres, the addiction to tobacco is already set, and it is even more difficult to quit while receiving cancer treatment.

This is why it is important to help move the conversation on tobacco beyond cancer. Now, it's more than just a public health issue; it also includes issues of mental health. Individuals experiencing emotional difficulties should not think that they are being judged. They have to learn to find alternative coping strategies, get psychological support early on in their lives, sleep well, exercise, be part of the community, and access timely medical support. The goal of this care is not just to support someone in quitting tobacco, but to provide support for them to stop needing tobacco in order to feel good.

By Dr Amit Chakraborty, Consultant Oncologist, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai

India is facing a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with hypertension and diabetes among the major health concerns.

Experts warned that the risk of both conditions rises after 40, often without noticeable symptoms. Increasing age, weight gain, reduced physical activity, stress, dietary habits, and metabolic changes can all contribute to the risk.

Having hypertension and diabetes together is particularly concerning, as their coexistence can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, retinopathy, and other complications.

Why Risk Rises After 40?

Dr. Santosh Gupta, Associate Director - CTVS, Paras Health Udaipur, told HealthandMe that several factors contribute to the rising risk after 40.

“After the age of 40, the risk of hypertension and diabetes increases due to factors such as changes in metabolism, reduced physical activity, weight gain, stress and dietary habits. What makes both conditions particularly concerning is that they can develop silently, without noticeable symptoms, while gradually affecting vital organs,” he said.

He added that uncontrolled hypertension can damage the heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels, while diabetes can affect the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and cardiovascular system.

"When both conditions occur together, the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney complications becomes even higher,” Dr. Gupta added.

Because both conditions can remain silent for years, people may have high blood pressure or blood sugar without knowing it.

Also read: Breastfeeding Can Help Reduce Mothers' Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Breast Cancer and More

Hypertension And Diabetes Often Coexist

A recent hospital-based analysis found that hypertension and diabetes frequently occur together, with their coexistence rising sharply from around age 40 among Indians.

The study, conducted by the Department of Clinical Research and Preventive Health Program at Max Healthcare, analyzed health records of more than 56,000 adults who underwent preventive health check-ups between January 2021 and December 2024.

Nearly 5% of adults had both conditions. Their coexistence increased rapidly from around 40, continued rising until approximately 58 and gradually reached nearly 17% by around age 70.

People with diabetes were nearly four times more likely to have hypertension, while those with hypertension were about 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes.

Dr. Abhaya Indrayan, Biostatistics Consultant, Max Healthcare, said the findings support screening for both conditions rather than assessing them separately.

Why Screening After 40 Matters

Read More: Confused By Your Cholesterol Report? Here's What LDL And ApoB Really Mean

Experts said that preventive healthcare should go beyond checking for individual diseases. Adults over 40 should routinely assess key cardiometabolic risk factors, including blood pressure and blood sugar.

Screening can help detect hypertension, diabetes or prediabetes early, when lifestyle changes and treatment can help prevent or delay complications.

“This is why regular screening after 40 is important, even for individuals who feel completely healthy. A routine blood pressure check, fasting blood glucose or HbA1c test can help identify hypertension, diabetes or prediabetes at an early stage, when timely lifestyle changes and medical intervention can prevent or delay complications,” Dr. Gupta said.

“Screening should not be viewed only as a diagnostic exercise; it is an opportunity to understand one’s health risks and take corrective measures before the disease begins to cause irreversible organ damage,” he added.

How To Lower The Risk

Preventive care also involves addressing modifiable risk factors. Regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting salt, sugar and highly processed foods, getting adequate sleep and avoiding tobacco can help lower the long-term risk.

For those already diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes, regular monitoring and adherence to prescribed treatment are important to reduce the risk of complications.

With the risk of both conditions rising after 40, experts recommend making routine health checks part of regular healthcare—even when there are no obvious symptoms.