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.

Heart care has been revolutionized in recent decades. New imaging tools, less invasive procedures, implantable devices and digital instruments are allowing doctors to find problems earlier and with more detail. This means that treatment options tend to be more personalized and recovery time can be shortened.

A big part of this shift comes from new tech in heart testing. Doctors can see how big the heart is, what shape it is and how it moves using cardiac CT, MRI and echo. These tests can give specific information on the functioning of the heart. AI is also being looked at for tasks like reading ECG results, analysing heart scans, and tracking patients over time. The American Heart Association says AI may have uses across heart care. At the same time, many tools still need more proof in real clinical settings before they are widely used.

From Open Surgery To Less Invasive Heart Procedures

Also read: Don’t Miss a Beat: Why Every Newborn Deserves a Heart Check

Tech is also changing how some heart issues are handled. In the past, some cases needed full open surgery. Now, for certain patients, doctors may use catheter-based or minimally invasive methods instead. Take TAVR as an example. In that approach, a new aortic valve is placed using a catheter. It is positioned inside the older, damaged valve. For the right group of patients, this can avoid open surgery.

Device design is moving forward too. Newer cardiac devices are adding options for people with rhythm problems and other heart conditions. Leadless pacemakers are one example. These devices are meant to support heart rhythm in an effective way while reducing some drawbacks seen with older device types.

Wearables And Remote Monitoring: The Next Step In Heart Care

Remote monitoring and wearable tools are growing fast. Some devices can track things like heart rate all day. That can reveal issues that someone might not notice on their own. Still, these tools should sit alongside routine checkups. They should not be used to diagnose yourself.

At the end of the day, the goal is not to swap out a cardiologist for a machine. Tech should help doctors gather clearer data. It can also support more accurate procedures. It may even spot disease earlier than before. What treatment makes sense varies from person to person. Doctors weigh age, past health, how bad the condition is, the test results, and the overall level of risk. As new heart devices keep coming, doctors will need solid proof and good judgment about who should use them. That is how new ideas lead to real gains in heart care.

She came to the hospital because of a cough that would not go away. The cough was eventually found to be nothing serious. But her CT scan revealed something unexpected — a 12 mm nodule in the outer part of her right lung.

She had never smoked. She felt completely well.

Yet that tiny shadow raised a big question: was it an old tuberculosis scar, a harmless growth, or an early lung cancer?

A CT scan can show us that a nodule is there. It cannot always tell us what it is.

This is an increasingly familiar situation. As CT scans have become more widely used, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors are finding small lung nodules in people being scanned for entirely different reasons. Most turn out to be benign. Some, however, need closer assessment.

India has another challenge. Tuberculosis and its scars are common, and a lung shadow can sometimes be attributed to TB without tissue confirmation. While treating tuberculosis promptly is important, assuming that every suspicious nodule is TB can occasionally delay the diagnosis of something else, including cancer.

The answer, when appropriate, is to obtain a tissue sample.

Traditionally, a small nodule deep in the lung could be difficult to reach. A needle biopsy through the chest can be effective but carries a risk of a collapsed lung. Conventional bronchoscopy is excellent for the larger airways but becomes more challenging as the target gets smaller and farther towards the edge of the lung. Surgery may sometimes be necessary.

Newer techniques are changing the picture.

Navigation bronchoscopy uses the patient's CT scan to create a three-dimensional map of the airways and guide a thin catheter towards the nodule. Cone Beam CT adds real-time three-dimensional imaging during the procedure, allowing the doctor to check where the instruments are in relation to the lesion before taking the biopsy.

In simple terms, navigation helps us find the way; Cone Beam CT helps us confirm we are there.

The tissue can then be examined immediately where appropriate, helping determine whether the sample is adequate and whether additional material is needed for advanced testing.

Importantly, not every nodule needs a biopsy. Many are best managed through carefully planned follow-up scans. The decision depends on the nodule's size and appearance, previous scans, and the patient's overall risk.

For patients, the message is reassuring: a lung nodule does not mean cancer. But it should not be ignored either.

Keep previous scans. Ask what the likely possibilities are. Understand why your doctor recommends surveillance or biopsy — and make sure the follow-up happens.

Today, advanced bronchoscopy is helping doctors turn a worrying shadow into something much more useful: an answer.

(By Dr Shyam Krishnan, Intervention Pulmonologist, CMRI)

Second-hand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer in people who have never smoked because it contains harmful chemicals, including known cancer-causing agents. When someone who does not smoke is around a person who is smoking they breathe in smoke from the burning cigarette and the smoke that the smoker breathes out. This mix of smoke is called second-hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke.

How Second-Hand Smoke Damages Lung Cells And DNA

Also read: From Occasional to Long-Term Smoking, Experts Explain How Much Lung Damage Can Actually Reverse After Quitting?

Even though the non-smoker does not light a cigarette they still take in dangerous substances. These chemicals can irritate the lungs. Cause inflammation. They also create stress, which means the body’s natural defenses are overwhelmed by harmful molecules. Over time this damage can harm the DNA inside lung cells.

When DNA is damaged the cells may start to change in ways. These abnormal cells can grow out of control. Turn into cancer. The longer and more intense the exposure to second-hand smoke the higher the risk becomes. For example, people who live with a smoker or work in places where smoking is allowed may get exposure over time.

Second-hand smoke also makes it harder for the body to fix cells. It keeps the lungs in a state of inflammation. This ongoing irritation helps create a condition where cancer can start and grow.

There is no level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Even small amounts can add to the risk. Some people are especially at risk like children, pregnant women and those with asthma or other breathing problems.

How Can Non-Smokers Reduce Their Exposure?

The best way to prevent lung cancer from second-hand smoke is to reduce exposure. This means keeping homes, cars and workplaces completely smoke-free. It also means supporting smoke- policies and encouraging people to quit smoking. Protecting non-smokers from second-hand smoke is a step, in reducing lung cancer rates.

Dr Saket Kumar, Senior Consultant – Physician & Pulmonology, Sterling Hospitals, Bhayli, Vadodara