The Latest Breaking News from The Indian Council of Medical Research

Why Long Fasting Hours Trigger Acidity and Gastritis

Your Stomach Produces Acid Whether You Eat or NotThe stomach secretes hydrochloric acid in anticipation of food, driven by the vagus nerve and by gastrin, a hormone released partly in response to the smell and thought of eating. During a normal eating pattern, food buffers that acid. During a long…

Times Life · Oct 1

5 Rules for Fasting Safely When You Take Diabetes or BP Medication

Why Medication Changes Everything About FastingMost people who fast do so without a second thought about timing. But if you take insulin, sulphonylureas such as glipizide or glibenclamide, or certain blood pressure drugs, an empty stomach is not neutral. Sulphonylureas lower blood glucose whether or not you have eaten, which…

Times Life · Oct 1

Why a Hip Fracture After 70 Can Cut Life Expectancy and How Seniors Can Prevent One

The mortality numbers nobody tells you at dischargeA hip fracture kills more older adults than most cancers that get far more attention. A 2021 analysis published in the journal Osteoporosis International found that one in four patients over 70 dies within twelve months of a hip fracture. Among men over…

Times Life · Sep 27

5 Self-Examination Techniques That Catch Cancer and Skin Disease Early in Just Ten Minutes a Month

Why Your Hands Are the First Line of ScreeningA 2022 study published in The Lancet Oncology found that in low- and middle-income countries, a category India still partially occupies for cancer infrastructure, over 60 percent of breast cancer cases present at stage three or four. The gap between early and…

Times Life · Sep 10

6 Preventive Health Screenings Every Indian Over 40 Needs That Doctors Rarely Mention

1. LDLP (LDL Particle) Test, Not Just a Cholesterol NumberMost Indian adults over 40 get a standard lipid panel. It shows total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides. What it misses is the size and count of LDL particles, and that gap matters. A 2019 study published in the Journal of the…

Times Life · Sep 9

Corporate Health Checkup Packages Skip These Critical Screening Tests Every Indian Employee Needs

What the Standard Corporate Package Actually CoversMost employer-sponsored health checkup packages in India run on a template that has barely changed in two decades. A complete blood count, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, liver function tests, a chest X-ray, and blood pressure measurement. Some add an ECG for employees over…

Times Life · Sep 9

6 Stroke Warning Signs That Define the Golden Hour and What to Do in the First Minute

Sign 1: Sudden Weakness or Paralysis on One SideOne arm drops without warning. One leg gives out mid-step. This unilateral weakness, affecting the face, arm, or leg on a single side of the body, is the most reported first symptom of ischemic stroke. The brain's motor cortex controls the opposite…

Times Life · Sep 4

6 Ways Chronic Pollution Exposure in Indian Cities Is Accelerating Neurological Decline

1. Fine particulate matter crosses the blood-brain barrierPM2.5 particles, the ultrafine pollutants that define Delhi's winter smog, are small enough to pass directly from the lungs into the bloodstream and from there into the brain. A 2023 study published in The Lancet Planetary Health found that long-term exposure to PM2.5…

Times Life · Sep 1

Thalassemia Minor, Iron Levels, and Pregnancy: What Your Energy Deficit Is Actually Telling You

The Report Says Minor. Your Body Doesn't Always AgreeThalassemia minor means you inherited one defective beta-globin gene instead of two. You are a carrier. You do not have thalassemia major, and you will not develop it. What you do have is a permanent, mild reduction in hemoglobin, typically between 9…

Times Life · Aug 31

7 Things Every Indian With Sickle Cell Trait Should Know About Their Health

You are a carrier, not a patient, but the distinction has limitsSickle cell trait means you inherited one copy of the HbS gene and one normal copy. Your body produces both haemoglobin A and haemoglobin S. Under ordinary conditions, you will not have a sickle cell crisis. The Indian Council…

Times Life · Aug 31