Happiness is influenced by a complex interplay of various chemicals in our brain, particularly four key neurotransmitters, D.O.S.E or Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins. These chemicals, often referred to as "happiness chemicals," are responsible for creating feelings of joy, motivation, connection, and calm.

However, when there's a deficiency in any of these, it can significantly affect our mood, energy, and overall well-being. Let’s dive into what these four neurotransmitters are, how their deficiency impacts us, and how we can boost their levels naturally.

Dopamine: The Motivation and Reward Chemical

Dopamine is often called the "motivation molecule." It plays a major role in enabling motivation, learning, and the pleasure-reward system in the brain. When we accomplish something — whether it’s finishing a project, completing a workout, or achieving a goal — dopamine gives us that sense of satisfaction and determination to continue.

Deficiency Effects:

When dopamine levels are low, it can lead to procrastination, low self-esteem, lack of focus, and general fatigue. A person might feel anxious, hopeless, or experience mood swings because the brain isn’t getting the reward signals it needs.

Boosting Dopamine:

You can increase dopamine levels by setting and achieving small goals, exercising regularly, eating foods rich in L-Tyrosine (such as almonds, avocados, and eggs), and practicing mindfulness or meditation. Engaging in creative activities like writing or drawing also helps boost dopamine levels.

Oxytocin: The Bonding Chemical

Oxytocin is often referred to as the "love hormone" or "cuddle hormone" because it plays a major role in social bonding and trust. It’s released when we hug, touch, or engage in other forms of physical affection. Oxytocin fosters feelings of connection and emotional intimacy, making it essential for relationships, family bonding, and even team cooperation.

Deficiency Effects:

A lack of oxytocin can lead to feelings of loneliness, stress, anxiety, and difficulties in forming or maintaining relationships. Low oxytocin levels are associated with feelings of isolation and disconnection from others.

Boosting Oxytocin:

You can raise your oxytocin levels through physical touch, socialising, spending quality time with loved ones, and even engaging in activities like massage or listening to soothing music. Acts of kindness, such as helping others or volunteering, also help release oxytocin.

Serotonin: The Mood Stabiliser

Serotonin is responsible for feelings of well-being and contentment. It helps regulate mood, sleep, digestion, and even social behavior. People who have balanced serotonin levels often feel calm, confident, and emotionally stable. Serotonin is crucial in helping people feel valued and significant among their peers.

Deficiency Effects:

Low serotonin levels are linked to depression, low self-esteem, irritability, and mood swings. Individuals may feel overly sensitive to criticism, experience panic attacks, or struggle with social phobias when serotonin is deficient.

Boosting Serotonin:

You can boost serotonin by getting regular exercise, exposing yourself to sunlight, engaging in cold showers or massages, and practicing mindfulness. Simple activities like walking in nature, meditating, or doing yoga are also effective serotonin enhancers.

Endorphins: The Pain Reliever

Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. Released in response to stress, pain, or intense physical activity, they help alleviate discomfort and promote a sense of euphoria. Endorphins are what make you feel good after a workout or a hearty laugh, often referred to as the "runner's high."

Deficiency Effects:

Without enough endorphins, people may experience anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and insomnia. A deficiency in endorphins can make daily life feel overwhelming and physically draining.

Boosting Endorphins:

To boost endorphins, engage in laughter, exercise, and stretching activities. Eating spicy foods or dark chocolate can also stimulate endorphin production. Regular massage therapy and meditation are other ways to naturally elevate endorphin levels.

A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) showed that more than 40 percent of prostate cancer patients in the country are diagnosed after the cancer has spread.

The 43 percent of late diagnosis cases indicates the significant burden of late detection of prostate cancer in the country. This can not only limit treatment options but also lead to poorer survival outcomes.

The study, published in the Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology, revealed that while more than 80 per cent began treatment within two months, but referral patients experienced longer delays.

Researchers from the ICMR’s National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research, in Bengaluru, stressed the need to strengthen referral pathways to ensure timely, stage-appropriate care.

“Our study indicates that over 80 percent of patients commence treatment within two months of diagnosis, but referral systems and delays in care persist,” said corresponding author Prashant Mathur, Director, ICMR-NCDIR, in the paper.

“To address these challenges, the healthcare system must prioritize improving referral efficiency, reducing administrative bottlenecks, enhancing coordination through digital health records, and multidisciplinary tumor boards,” the authors added.

Age, The Strongest Risk Factor For Prostate Cancer

The ICMR study is based on an analysis of 9,347 cases from 96 hospitals under the National Cancer Registry Program.

The researchers found that 75.6 percent of total prostate cancer cases occurred in the age group of 60–80 years, indicating that advanced age remains the biggest risk factor for the condition.

As life expectancy increases, more men reach the higher-risk age group, but awareness and screening practices have not scaled proportionately.

Adenocarcinoma was the most common pathology, constituting 77 percent of cases.

It is the most common form of prostate cancer, accounting for over 95 per cent of all cases. It develops in the gland cells that produce prostate fluid and typically grows slowly over several years.

Further, the ICMR researchers noted that about 57 percent of cases were diagnosed with localized (29.9 percent) or locoregional (27 percent) cancer.

Thirty percent underwent surgical treatment, and 22 percent received radiation therapy. Systemic therapy was the most common single modality treatment.

“Early detection and streamlined referral pathways are essential to improve prostate cancer outcomes in India,” the researchers said.

Prostate Cancer And Its Prevalence In India

Prostate cancer forms in the cells of the prostate -- a gland found only in males and a part of the male reproductive system. It lies below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum.

Nearly all prostate cancers develop from glandular cells (adenocarcinomas).

Globally, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in 112 countries and the leading cause of cancer death in 48 countries. In 2020, an estimated 1.4 million new cases of prostate cancer and 0.37 million deaths were reported worldwide.

In India, it is the second most common cancer among men, accounting for more than 60 percent of the prostate cancer burden in South-Central Asia. As per the ICMR data, the country reported 34,540 incidences of prostate cancer and 16,783 deaths.

Prostate cancer symptoms include urinary difficulty, a weak stream, or blood in the urine.

As prostate cancer is a slow-developing disease, it often causes no symptoms during the early-stage, leading to delayed medical consultation.

Other reasons for late detection in India include low awareness, limited routine screening -- PSA (prostate-specific antigen) programs; social stigma and hesitation due to embarrassment or cultural taboos.

Lack of access to specialist care, diagnostic facilities, and cancer centers, especially in rural populations, coupled with cost and referral gaps, also leads to delay in diagnosis.

Colon cancer develops from polyps in the colon or rectum, often taking years to show symptoms. The cancer begins when small growths called polyps form on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. Over time, changes in the DNA of these cells can cause the polyps to become cancerous.

As abnormal cells multiply, they replace healthy cells and eventually form a mass known as a tumor. This process develops slowly, often taking up to ten years for a precancerous polyp to turn into cancer and begin showing symptoms.

The American Cancer Society notes that colorectal cancer impacts around 1.9 million people every year.. In India, it is the fourth most common cancer among both men and women. In 2022, there were 64,863 new cases and 38,367 deaths.

Projections suggest that incidence will continue to rise by 2026, reflecting both lifestyle changes and improved detection.

Colon cancer can be difficult to detect because it often develops without obvious symptoms. However, Dr Jordan Karlitz, MD, of Exact Sciences, shared with The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) the three fundamentals of CRC prevention and early detection.

What Are The Three Tips For CRC Screening?

According to the expert, these are the three things you should do to protect yourself:

1. Timely risk screening

2. Knowing your cancer family history

3. Acting on early symptoms

"These are the 3 pillars that everybody needs to be aware of, because I think gaps in any of them could increase the risk of developing CRC and, unfortunately, lead to presenting with more advanced-stage disease," said Dr Karlitz.

Why Is Risk Screening Essential?

Timely screening for colon cancer is essential because it detects precancerous polyps early, allowing for their removal before they turn into cancer and identifies the tumors at highly treatable stages when survival rates are about 90 percent.

Screenings (like colonoscopies) can detect and remove pre-cancerous growths called polyps, preventing the development of cancer. The expert suggested that average risk screening now starts at the age of forty-five; you do not have to wait until age 50.

What Early Symptoms Should You Look Out For?

Colon cancer rarely announces its presence with dramatic symptoms. More often, it whispers — through changes in bowel habits, subtle abdominal discomfort, or unexplained weight loss.

Some of the most commonly missed early signs include:

• Persistent changes in bowel movements: Chronic constipation or diarrhea often dismissed as dietary effects.
• Blood in stool: Bright red or dark blood should not be ignored.
• Unexplained weight loss: Especially when unintentional.
• Abdominal cramps or bloating: Misinterpreted as common digestive issues.

Persistent changes in bowel habits, especially if they last more than a few days, must be taken seriously. Narrow or ribbon-shaped stools may indicate a tumor partially blocking the colon.

A Himalayan zoonotic disease, which is transmitted by mite bites, known as Scrub typhus, is re-emerging. However, the attention and recognition to its threat remains poor. A Mongabay report noted the life of Maya Rai, 38, from Dajeeling, who works throughout the day. Her packed schedule does not allow her to stop working. When there is a febrile illness, it is "just another fever".

However, one monsoon, the fever hit her hard, while she thought it will pass too with some rest. She felt too weak to work. She received no clear diagnosis at the local Public Health Center (PHC), and was sent home with just painkillers. However, her condition did not improve. She experienced fever with cough, nausea, breathlessness and discomfort. Being a wage worker, she missed seven days, which meant no money for a week. She was finally taken to a private hospital in town, hours away from her village and the rapid test confirmed 'scrub typhus'.

This is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium Orientia tsutugamushi. Maya was prescribed antibiotics and was able to survive. However, there are many cases where this febrile fever is treated like any other fever, until it is too late. Many cases arise much later in front of a medical healthcare provider, when complications like acute respiratory distress, liver inflammation, kidney failure, and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) have already happened.

Another case is from rural west Sikkim, where a 35-year-old Ganga Chhetri also had similar symptoms. However, by the time she was diagnosed, her organs were already critical. Ganga was also breastfeeding her two-year-old child and caring for her four-year-old.

Re-emergence of Scrub Typhus

The disease is locally known as kira le toke ko bimari, which literally translates it as a disease from an insect bite. This is re-emerging in the Dajeeling-Sikkim region of the Indian Himalayas, and is a public health concern in India. The cases have been reported across the country in India, as well as in other Southeast Asian countries. This affects one million people annually around the globe.

Scrub typhus was once confined to the Asia-Pacific’s ‘Tsutsugamushi Triangle’, a geographic stretch from northern Japan to Russia and northern Australia. Today, while this has changed, the disease still poses threat to many, including those living in the Himalayan region.

What Is Scrub Typhus And How Does It Spread?

It is an acute, potentially fatal, rickettsial infection that is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by larval mites (chiggers) in rural areas.

At its core, scrub typhus in humans is associated with four interconnected elements: small mammals, particularly rats, tiny parasitic mites, the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, and the environment they inhabit together. The disease is spread specifically by the larval stage of trombiculid mites, commonly known as chiggers. Only the larvae transmit the infection, passing it to humans through their bite.

These chiggers feed on the blood of small mammals such as rats, which play a key role in sustaining mite populations. Rats can also carry Orientia tsutsugamushi and pass the bacteria to mites that feed on them. In contrast, the nymph and adult stages of the mite, typically found in soil and vegetation, do not spread the disease.

Humans become infected when they enter areas infested with mites or environments with high rat populations, allowing infected chiggers to shift from rodents to people. The likelihood of such spillover events increases when rodent numbers grow, mite populations expand, or human contact with rats intensifies.

Factors such as land use changes, shifting weather patterns, natural disasters, deforestation, rapid urbanization, and increased garbage accumulation can create conditions that favor rodent and mite proliferation, thereby raising the risk of disease transmission.