Tag: travel vaccines India

Does the needle scare you from getting vaccinated

23/02/21

Does the needle scare you from getting vaccinated

Dr Paula Goel, Pediatrician & adolescent Physician , Fayth Clinic

‘A needle makes my blood run cold’ . Does the needle scare you , so that you avoid doing blood tests or taking any injections which are required including vaccinations .

Many are deathly afraid of a needle that could save their lives. So scary, in fact, that studies show the needle averse individuals routinely skip medical procedures — vaccines, tooth removal, blood tests — that they know are good for them. 16 % of adults avoid the injections because of it

Here are some tips to distract you :

Distract yourself while you’re waiting.Bring along a game, book, music, or movie — something you’ll get completely caught up in so you’re not sitting in the waiting room thinking about the shot..
Concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths.Breathe all the way down into your belly. Deep breathing can help people relax — and concentrating on something other than the shot can take your mind off it.
Focus intently on something in the room.Find a picture, poster, or a sign on the wall. Concentrate on the details. Whatever it takes, keep focusing on something other than the shot until it’s over.
Research shows that coughing once before and once during the shot can help some people feel less pain.
Relax your arm.If you’re tense, it can make a shot hurt more — especially if you tense up the area where you’re getting the shot
Don’t shame or humiliate. Acknowledge the fear as genuine and help your child work through it, even if it requires seeing a therapist
Counseling for needle anxiety, is like any other phobias, through cognitive behavioral therapy Instead of avoiding pictures of needles, psychologists steadily expose patients to more and more images of needles. They progress to using fake but realistic needles to simulate the process of receiving an injection, even using real alcohol wipes.
Experts and vaccine advocates say there are other, short-term solutions, including using pain-blocking gels, intentionally tensing and relaxing muscles repeatedly to induce relaxation, mindfulness, and flat-out distraction.
Another technique is to press the thumb firmly into the child’s arm, producing a temporary soreness than can mask the sensation of the flu shot.
If your child is truly needle-phobic, talk to your doctor about whether anti-anxiety medication is needed.
If your child is simply anxious, try distractions: play games, ask questions, tell stories, sing songs, blow bubbles, show a movie or a cellphone video. Pre-schoolers can be caressed in a parent’s arms and comforted gently.
Don’t lie to your child that the doctor’s visit won’t involve a shot or that that the shot will be absolutely painless. Dishonesty and trickery could exacerbate your child’s fear and distrust
Sometimes people feel lightheaded or faint after getting a shot. If you feel funny, sit or lie down and rest for 15 minutes.
Don’t hesitate to tell the doctor or nurse that you’re nervous before getting the shot. Medical professionals are used to people who are afraid of shots and they’ll be able to help you relax.

So , we hope some of these pointers will help you to deal with your fear of the needle and hopefully help you to get through medical procedures with less stress.

Mail Us : enquiries@faythclinic.com
Book Your Appointment Here : faythclinic.com/book-appointment

Parental guidelines for overweight & Obesity in children & eens

11/01/21

PARENTAL GUIDELINES FOR

OVERWEIGHT & OBESITY IN CHILDREN & TEENS

Dr Paula Goel, Pediatrician & Adolescent Physician, Director,

Fayth Clinic, Mumbai

Overweight and obesity are a significant public health concern even for children and teenagers. The prevalence of obesity for children and adolescents aged 2-19 years is 18.5% and affects about 13.7 million children and adolescents in USA, whereas in India it is about 14% and growing . With the COVID lockdown, the incidence has further increased.

Overweight is defined as increased weight for age, height and gender of child. Standard charts like IAP, WHO , NCHS, UNICEF ,CDC which have weight and height for age and gender, are used to identify overweight and obesity in children and teenagers . WHO has declared Obesity as a disease process in 1998, requiring treatment.

Overweight & obesity in children & teenagers is associated with multiple health problems.

Physical health problems include early onset high blood pressure, pre diabetes high serum insulin levels , high lipids (total cholesterol and triglycerides) , acne , hair loss , irregular menses , PCOS ,fungal infections , joint problems and respiratory infections.

Pre diabetes is increased, especially if family history is present.

Emotional health problems may arise as many children & teenagers are subjected to vicious attacks of peer pressure and bullying due to their weight. They may face isolation due to a lack of friends in the real world. As a result, loneliness creeps in and they spend long hours on media with more “cyber friends” than real friends, and may indulge in compensatory overeating as a “feel good factor”. Eventually they develop body image issues

All this would finally leads to low self esteem, lack of self confidence, anxiety, depression, lack of focus, aggression and/or passive aggressive behavior.

This can present with scholastic backwardness in form of poor academic achievement. Metabolic consequences of obesity and psychological impact are higher in girls.

Causes of overweight & obesity are multi-factorial, commonest being lack of physical activity, over eating (large portion size), eating high caloric diet, long hours spent on media (TV, Internet, social media, gaming), hormonal problems, medical problems like thyroid abnormalities, anemia and other genetic problems, and family history of obesity .

Whatever is the cause of overweight & obesity, it is essential that child be diagnosed, investigated and treated accordingly.

Parents must watch for certain physical signs and symptoms:

Lethargy , fatigue , joint pains , breathlessness , lack of interest and focus , easy crying , sudden bouts of anger and temper , prolonged periods of locking themselves up in room , asking meals to be served in room instead of having meals with family , self abuse in terms of over eating , physical hurt to self , wearing very loose clothes , not responding to spoken words .

Evaluation of overweight or obese child/teenager include :

Medical evaluation and diagnostic tests including blood evaluation , ECG , lung function tests , Ambulatory BP if required ( in teenager )
Nutritional assessment of eating habits in form of frequency of eating out , intake of calories , frequency and portion size of energy rich foods, intake of fruits and vegetables, number of meals /day and skipped meals if any .
Identify media addiction
Exercise protocols to be customized per child/teenager as per their requirement
Counseling including cognitive behavior counseling , dietary & lifestyle modification counseling , which will include child/teenager as well as parents ( entire family )

Parental Tips :

Spend adequate time with your child /teen . Be present for your child.
Communicate with your child
Meal times should be happy time with all family members.
Meals should not be eaten in front of TV or in bedroom.
Breakfast must be the most important meal of the day .
Small 5-6 meals / day should be taken which consists of 3 main meals and 2-3 small snacks which are balanced with right proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, fat and adequate amount of water .
Starchy food with high glycemic index should be reduced, increase intake of high fibred diet.
Force feeding should not be done. It is ok to leave some food on plate
Holiday times should be used for cleaning house or community activity which allows the child to have some form of activity instead of waking up late and sitting in front of TV
Child should accompany parents at times for food shopping and learn to read food labels before buying processed food
Dieting in children and adolescents is not healthy as this is the growth phase
Healthy eating behavioral practice should be encouraged for the whole family

Prevention forms the key and can be achieved by

Increase activity ,
Reduce time on TV, media .
Family activities like meal planning and physical activity together goes a long way to motivate children.
Parents should set an example and avoid junk food themselves.
Food should not be used as a motivator to motivate child to perform well on any activity
Parents should keep watch, as it does not take time for overweight children and teens to become obese .
Weight maintenance over a period of time (maybe 2 years) without weight gain, in the right zone for age will lead to balancing of weight for height and allow the body to grow without micronutrient deficiency.

Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine Unit of Fayth Clinic ensures that Overweight & Obesity in Children and teenagers are treated under the National Guidelines laid down by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics which leads to healthy weight loss and prevents the complications of obesity. This enables the child /teenager to adopt healthy lifestyle changes leading to healthy eating practices, coping skills, develop healthy body image and to deal with peer pressure in the most effective way.

Other Services include: vaccinations, Pediatric & adolescent OPD, treatment of PCOS, Acne, thyroid, short stature, poor academic performance, counseling etc

International Travel Vaccination

29/09/18

International travellers often face health issues which they wouldn’t usually experience in their home country. With a little thought and preparation, you might just have an illness-free exciting international travel.

“Have you got your shots?”

The question is not as inappropriate as it sounds. There are few places on earth you literally can’t visit without getting vaccinated; several countries made vaccinations a mandatory requirement. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Do you really want some wild tropical disease ruining the travel you’ve been planning for months/years?

You should find out in advance whether any specific vaccinations may be recommended for travel to the region of the world you’ll be visiting. It’s also a good time to re-examine your own vaccination history. Travel experts always recommend that no matter where you’re travelling, you should make sure you’re up-to-date on routine vaccinations like T-dap (diphtheria/tetanus/whooping cough), annual flu shots and measles/mumps/rubella.

Not convinced? Think again: The world of infectious diseases is dynamic with unexpected outbreaks. Measles is on the rise in Europe this year and most of the European countries lost their grip on infectious diseases (mostly driven by the anti-vaxxer movement). And you will feel “There’s no place like home” when you encounter a bout of flu on the road.

International travel vaccination Mumbai

Vaccinations I need to have before travelling abroad?

Once you decide that your international travel plans, it’s wise to make an appointment with a travel health clinic to discuss your general health and immunization needs. Whether or not you will need particular vaccines, depending on several factors, including:

Your risk of exposure to diseases in the visiting countries
Your age, health condition, and vaccination history
The presence of additional individual risk factors, such as having pre-existing cardiovascular disease, pregnancy or having a condition that might weaken your immune system.
Length of travel abroad

The World Health Organization and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all travellers be up-to-date with the routine schedule of vaccinations and booster shots. These routine vaccines include:

Tetanus/ Diphtheria/pertussis (Tdap)
Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
Measles/mumps/rubella (MMR)
Rotavirus

Some vaccinations are simply recommended while others are required if travelling to specific countries. Very few vaccines are classified as required (mandatory) by International Health Regulations. The yellow fever vaccination is required for travel to countries in the sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. Meningococcal vaccine is required by Saudi Arabia for pilgrims visiting Mecca and Medina for the annual (Hajj) or at any time (Umrah). Other vaccines, for example, “Recommended” vaccinations are given to protect travellers from illnesses that occur routinely in other parts of the world. Some examples of vaccines that may be recommended for international travellers (remember you may need more or fewer depending on your individual circumstances) include Hepatitis A, rabies, typhoid fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis etc.

Weigh the costs of vaccinations

Travel experts recommend that before travelling to a developing region, you visit a travel clinic — where the doctors’ major focus is on helping you stay healthy on the road — at least six weeks before your trip. But there’s a catch: routine shots are covered by most health insurance plans, a trip to a travel clinic and vaccines that are recommended or required for travel are usually not.

How long do the vaccinations last?

Many vaccines which are used today are relatively new. Lifelong immunity is not always provided by either vaccination or natural infection (getting the disease). The suggested timing of vaccine doses aims to achieve the best immune protection to cover the period in life when vulnerability to the disease is highest. Waning immunity is a problem for few vaccines. Tetanus needs regular boosters for good protection and you have to get a flu vaccine each and every year. High-risk groups are who travel to southern hemisphere in summer. This is because the flu virus mutates and it is a ruthless master of disguise, usually rendering the previous year’s vaccine partly or totally ineffective.

Recommended Adult Immunizations for Foreign Travel

Hep A – 2 doses
Hep B- 3 doses
HPV – 3 doses
Typhoid Fever – 1 dose; a booster every 2 years
Meningococcal – 1 dose
MMR- 2 doses
Tdap – 2 doses
Rabies- 3 doses
Yellow fever – 1 dose
Chicken pox – 2 doses
Influenza- 1 dose

(Read about : Immunization for students going abroad)

Side effects

Vaccinations are like any other medication in that they can have side effects. These are generally unpleasant rather than unsafe, although very rarely severe allergic reactions can occur. There’s no evidence that they disrupt your immune system in any way.

The most common reactions are mild headaches and fever, soreness around the injection site (sometimes with redness and swelling), and maybe nausea, vomiting or a general feeling of being unwell. Hepatitis A vaccine, for example, can occasionally give you a fever in the evening while tetanus commonly gives you a sore arm.

Travel vaccines India

What to do for diseases for which there are no vaccines?

Vaccines are available for only a few of the diseases. For instance, there are no vaccines for malaria, ebola, dengue fever, dysentery sexually transmitted infections (STIs) etc.

Malaria, for example, is present in over 100 countries and 40% of the World’s population is at risk. Large areas of Southern and central America, the Middle East, Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Oceania are considered malaria risk areas. There is not a vaccine available for malaria, but your doctor can prescribe preventive or prophylactic antimalarial medications. Always consult your doctor or a reputed travel clinic for advice on diseases without vaccinations.

Travel insurance:

While we’re talking about tropical diseases and staying healthy on the road, think also about Travel insurance as the peace of mind it buys is worth every penny. Whatever you may decide for vaccination but you should make sure to travel abroad with insurance. Don’t let the extra money deter you from making the investment of travel insurance and it’s a true travel essential, alongside your passport and money. However, read the entire policy before purchasing and international travel is not a time you want any shockers. Keep in mind that most insurance is sold in packages, so it’s important to comb through the inclusions in each to pick the package best tailored for you.

Fayth Clinic provides the best vaccination program in Mumbai. They are famous as the international travel vaccination providers in Mumbai, India.

Mail Us : enquiries@faythclinic.com
Book Your Appointment Here : faythclinic.com/book-appointment