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As you grow old, your health starts to deteriorate. Everything, whether it is your mental health or your physical health, starts to slow down. However, with age, your mental health gets overshadowed by your physical health.
If you note these signs in your ageing parents or grandparents, take note of it. Try to get involved with them. It is also important to ensure that they have a separate social circle apart from the family. This way, they can have friends who they can also relate to.
With age, suggests Sinha, you are more prone to be depressed, and anxious. “Mental health conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorders are not something that happens when you grow older. You may have been living with these for the last 40 years, but the management differs, she suggests.
As you grow old, your symptoms start to overlap with other mental health conditions. For the proper treatment professionals use differential diagnosis, suggests Sinha. “The lines become blurred and to differentiate the symptoms from one mental health condition to another becomes difficult,” she says.
There are also food habits like eating leafy vegetables, nuts, fish, virgin coconut and beans that help with brain functions.
Sinha suggests that keeping a social circle and continuing your hobbies can help your mind stay healthy. “Men especially face this issue, after they retire, they feel like they are at the loss of authority, and they start to lose control. It is thus important to keep doing things and learning a new skill to keep your brain active. While for women, since they continue taking care of the house, their brain stays active,” she says.
Cognitive stimulation is the key, especially to managing dementia, she notes.
“Just with weight training, you push your body and after a while, it becomes your muscle memory. Same with the brain. However, one should not get into solving too many puzzles, or trivia after being diagnosed with dementia. Because that would mean you are making your already injured brain exercise which might lead to agitation,” she recommends.
“The most important part is for the caregiver to understand what is happening and come to terms with the conditions. Because the elderly with cognitive conditions are not able to understand, they cannot be told or instructed to do anything. Thus, the responsibility is solely on the caregiver,” points out Sinha.
So, what can be done?
Reach out to therapists and counsellors to know the ways to create such a healthy environment.
She suggests adopting the same approach that you do with kids and with your pets. This is when you focus on gestures, body language and mood over language. Due to cognitive disorders, parents experience a loss of language and the only way to communicate and to understand what they are communicating is through these means.
Create a healthy environment by agreeing with them and listening to their stories. The responsibility of creating a safe environment is totally with you.
There might be times when your parents may do socially unacceptable or non-compliance behaviour. But it is important to understand the triggers and ensure that the triggers do not occur anymore.
A majority of women may experience infections during the crucial phase of pregnancy. Some infections during pregnancy may also not show clear symptoms. However, timely awareness and prevention can protect both the mother and the baby.
Pregnancy is a special and sensitive phase in a woman’s life. While most women focus on nutrition and regular check-ups, infections during pregnancy can often be neglected.
Some infections may cause only mild symptoms in the mother but can seriously affect the unborn baby if not detected early. Hence, regular screening, good hygiene, and timely medical care are crucial to prevent most pregnancy-related infections and ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy.
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A severe influenza A virus, commonly known as seasonal flu, may not only leave you coughing and feeling feverish, but also silently damage your heart, increasing the risk of heart attacks, according to a study.
A team of researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, US, unraveled that the influenza A virus directly damages the heart by hijacking immune cells. This leads to long-lasting cardiac dysfunction even after the lung infection is cleared.
The study, published in February 2026 in the journal Immunity, focused on an immune cell, known as pro-dendritic cell 3.
The researchers revealed that the pro-dendritic cell 3 acts as the ‘Trojan horse’ of the immune system during flu infection and carries the virus to the heart from the lungs.
Once in the heart, it produces large amounts of type 1 interferon and triggers the death of cardiomyocytes, impairing cardiac output.
Importantly, the findings showed that an annual flu vaccine can prevent damage to the heart.
“We have known for years that the frequency of heart attacks increases during flu season, yet outside of clinical intuition, scant evidence exists of the underlying mechanisms of that phenomenon,” said senior author Filip Swirski, Director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Icahn.
“These findings offer great promise for the development of new therapies, which are desperately needed since there are currently no viable clinical options to prevent cardiac damage,” Swirski added.
The team studied autopsies of 35 hospitalized patients who died of influenza. Of these, more than 85 percent had at least one significant cardiovascular comorbidity, such as hypertension. A majority of them also had multiple comorbidities, including atherosclerosis and cardiac fibrosis, underscoring cardiovascular disease as a major driver of influenza mortality.
The study also provided evidence that a cutting-edge modified mRNA treatment that dampens an interferon signaling pathway in the heart can significantly mitigate cardiac damage following viral infection while preserving the protective antiviral response of the immune system.
“The hopeful news for patients is that by injecting a novel mod-RNA therapeutic that modulates the IFN-1 signaling pathway, we reduced levels of cardiac damage, as evidenced by lower troponin, and improved cardiac function, as measured by higher left ventricular ejection fraction,” explained Jeffrey Downey, a member of Dr. Swirski’s laboratory who served as lead author.
Global statistics show that influenza A viruses cause an estimated 1 billion infections each year. This ranges from seasonal flu outbreaks locally to pandemics globally.
While most infections are mild and self-resolving, in some cases, they can become severe or even fatal. When the virus travels to the heart, it triggers the death of cardiomyocytes -- specialized muscle cells that are responsible for the rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the heart.
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Ramzan, the holiest month in Islam, marked by dawn-to-dusk fasting, poses health risks for people with diabetes. Health experts urge patients to consult their doctors before observing the fast.
Ramzan is a period of intense spiritual reflection, self-discipline, and devotion for Muslims worldwide. During the month-long fasting period, the believers refrain from eating and even drinking (including water), from dawn to sunset.
The faithful eat a modest meal (sehri) before the first light of dawn to provide energy for the day. The fast is broken at sunset, traditionally starting with dates and water, followed by a larger meal (iftar).
According to health experts, for individuals whose diabetes is well controlled, fasting may be possible with proper adjustments.
"Diabetes requires regular monitoring, balanced meals, and timely medication. When eating patterns change during Ramzan, blood glucose levels can fluctuate. That is why I strongly recommend consulting your doctor before you plan to fast,” Dr. Saptarshi Bhattacharya, Senior Consultant, Endocrinology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, told HealthandMe.
The expert advised people not to skip sehri, and to include complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, along with protein like eggs, dal, or curd, and plenty of fluids to help maintain stable glucose levels throughout the day.
At iftar, avoid overeating. Start with light, balanced food and limit fried items, sweets, and sugary drinks, as these can cause a sudden spike in blood glucose, Dr. Bhattacharya said.
Type 2 Diabetes patients with good glycemic control, lifestyle management, or stable oral medications can fast safely.
However, those on multiple insulin doses, with complications, or with poor control are considered moderate to high risk, Dr. Kartik Thakkar, Consultant Medicine, Ruby Hall Clinic, told HealthandMe.
The health expert also noted that most Type 1 diabetes patients are considered high risk, especially those with brittle diabetes, frequent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), or a history of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Many are medically advised not to fast, particularly if glucose control is unstable.
Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes are considered high risk and are usually advised against fasting due to the unpredictable nature of insulin requirements.
Dr. Thakkar said that such individuals fall into the very high-risk category and are medically exempt from fasting.
The expert also suggested clinical tests to determine whether a diabetic patient is fit to fast. These include:
A diabetic patient must break the fast if:
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