General Info Archives - Dr Anoop Agrawal

19 Apr

Iron, an essential fuel

2 basics: *Iron is an essential nutrient of the human body *Low iron level (iron deficiency) is prevalent among Indians 2 reasons: *Blood loss (examples include menstrual loss, stomach ulcers, intestinal worms, etc.) *Reduced intake (restricted diet, poor oral intake) 2 tests: *Hemoglobin level (a complete profile is called Hemogram, or Complete Blood Picture – […]

17 Apr

When temperature rises, stay cool

Introduction: A billboard on Interstate 94 in Illinois (USA) read, “Your wife is hot; fix your AC”. As funny as this sounded, it emphasised the need to keep the ambient temperature cool. The health hazards of high heat are quite obvious. A simple dehydration can quickly turn into heat exhaustion. Heat cramps are often the […]

15 Apr

General check up for heart

Introduction: Everyone should get a routine medical check-up for heart health, not just because of some sensational news of some celebrity dying due to a heart attack. Unfortunately, heart disease is prevalent, and is often unpredictable. Heart disease is responsible for the majority of the deaths and disability worldwide. Keeping our hearts healthy and happy […]

30 Mar

All About Blood Thinners

Introduction: Anticoagulants (blood thinners) are a group of medicines that decrease the human body’s ability to form blood clots. They don’t really ‘thin’ the blood, but the term ‘blood thinner’ is often used to help people understand. The human body has an inherent capacity to form and destroy blood clots, and this process happens continuously […]

28 Mar

The true cost of ‘low-cost’

This article was initially published on TheHindu.com. Introduction: The Indian healthcare system can reasonably be characterized as low-cost by global standards but still unaffordable to most of the Indian population. For-profit private setups provide a majority of healthcare services in urban India, in the backdrop of a virtually non-existent non-profit or government establishment. With an […]

28 Mar

Second Opinion: Why, What, When, How?

Introduction: Obtaining an expert opinion is an essential component of medical decision-making. Sometimes, even after an expert opinion, one may not get satisfactory information to make an informed decision. There can be many reasons for that. While lack of expertise, trust, or empathy are valid reasons for being critical of a professional opinion, our biases […]

28 Mar

Medical Specialists: Who does what?

Introduction: Over the last century, medicine has evolved into a sophisticated complex science requiring a set of specialized skills to decode and analyze all the available clinical data and deduce an expert conclusion. For this reason, the entire field of medicine is divided into various sub-specialities, with each expert gaining the required depth of knowledge […]

27 Mar

Blood Cholesterol: Good, Bad, and Ugly

Introduction: Blood cholesterol is a term often used to describe the circulating fat content in our blood. Circulating fat molecules combine with certain proteins to produce various fat-protein structures, which are labelled based on their size, weight, and role in overall metabolism. A standard blood test, called a “Lipid Profile,” typically lists all the major […]

27 Mar

Questions You Asked

Here are some of the questions patients have frequently asked over the past few years. I used to have high blood pressure (BP) before. Since I started taking medicines for it, BP is now under control. Can I stop my medicines now? The fact that your BP got under control after you have been put […]

25 Mar

Blood Pressure Basics

Introduction: Blood pressure (BP) is the ‘pressure’ that ‘blood’ exerts on the vessel (tubes that carry blood) wall. There are 2 basic concepts to understand. First, blood flow through the vessels is dynamic. It increases when the heart contracts, and decreases when the heart relaxes. Due to this, blood pressure also increases during heart contraction […]

24 Mar

Why is angioplasty so expensive?

Introduction: The cost of angioplasty had been a concern on numerous occasions and was addressed, in part, by price capping of coronary stents (metal scaffolds put inside blood vessels of the heart to keep the vessels open) in 2017 by NPPA. The overall cost of angioplasty may sometimes exceed that of cardiac bypass surgery and may […]

23 Mar

Hypertension: 9 Basic Things Everyone Should Know

Introduction: An increase in blood pressure (BP) beyond what is considered normal is called Hypertension. Hypertension is one of the most common diseases and can affect almost every organ of the human body. Hypertension is increasingly being diagnosed at a much younger age now, and far more people report poorly controlled blood pressure even on […]

18 Nov

Recording blood pressure at home: Are you following the cardinal rules?

Introduction: As blood travels through the human body’s arteries, it exerts pressure on its walls. This pressure, so-called blood pressure (BP), is maintained within an acceptable range by the body’s regulatory mechanisms. To understand the basic physiology of blood pressure, click here. Hypertension is a condition where blood pressure is consistently higher than what can […]

18 Nov

Weight Loss: Do The Math

Introduction: Every new year brings blessings, hope, and…resolutions. The average lifespan of a New Year resolution is about 7 days (I made up this number), but be truthful …didn’t you promise yourself last year that you would lose weight and then celebrate the new year with pizza and beer? Let us face it, weight loss […]

18 Nov

Time Your Medicines Right

Introduction: I am reasonably certain that most of you have, at least once, wondered when is the right time to take your medicines. It happens to be the most common question asked of doctors. While the answer is not quite straightforward, there are certain thumb rules one can apply that work in most situations. This […]

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