Author: Anish Desai

Every morning, millions of people begin their day with a ritual that has become almost automatic: a handful of supplements swallowed with hurried sips of water before rushing to work. Vitamin D for immunity. Magnesium for sleep. Iron for energy. Protein for muscle. Omega-3 for the heart. The wellness industry has trained people to ask one central question: What supplement should I take? But nutrition scientists are increasingly focusing on another question that may be just as important: When should I take it? Because in the human body, timing is not a minor detail. It can change how effectively a…

In a remote village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, an elderly diabetic farmer once spent nearly an entire day travelling 18 kilometres for a routine medical consultation, only to discover that the doctor at the government facility was unavailable. Today, he walks to a small digital kiosk installed near the village centre, where a health worker checks his blood sugar, blood pressure and ECG before connecting him to a doctor through video consultation. Within minutes, he leaves with a prescription and follow-up advice. Scenes like this are beginning to redefine healthcare access across rural India. From Uttar Pradesh to Karnataka, from…

A 27-year-old software engineer in Mumbai begins his day late, the residue of another night of poor sleep. Breakfast is skipped. Work unfolds on a screen. Meals arrive via apps. Physical activity is negligible. He considers himself “too young” to worry about health—until a routine check-up flags high blood pressure and borderline diabetes. This is no longer an outlier. It is fast becoming the urban Indian norm. India’s disease burden has undergone a decisive shift towards non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which now account for roughly 63–65 per cent of all deaths. Nearly one in four deaths is premature—occurring before the age…

It begins with what feels ordinary. A child returns home in the peak of summer with a headache and fatigue. His mother blames the heat. An elderly neighbour develops severe dehydration after episodes of loose motions. A young office worker recovers from a fever, only to discover that it is dengue, weeks before the monsoon. These are no longer isolated summer events. They reflect a changing health reality in India. Global warming, prolonged heatwaves, erratic rainfall, urban heat islands, and water stress are amplifying common summer illnesses. Heat illness is now a silent summer emergency. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke…

For more than a century, human intelligence seemed to follow a reassuring rule: each generation grew sharper than the last. Psychologists called it the Flynn Effect, a steady rise in IQ scores observed across the 20th century. But that rule is now breaking. Multiple international researchers are documenting an unsettling shift. In several countries, Generation Z—those born roughly between 1997 and 2012—is showing declines in attention, reading comprehension, numeracy and problem-solving compared to previous generations. In some regions, IQ gains have stalled or reversed altogether. What began as an academic signal has now entered policy discourse. In January this year,…

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections globally and represent a significant public health burden in India. They affect individuals across all age groups, but their causes, frequency, and clinical implications vary widely depending on age, gender, and co-morbid conditions. In India, studies estimate that the prevalence of UTIs ranges from approximately 21.8 per cent to 31.3 per cent in studied populations, making them one of the leading reasons for outpatient consultations and antibiotic prescriptions. The most common causative organism is Escherichia coli, responsible for nearly 70–90 per cent of uncomplicated infections. Other organisms include Klebsiella,…

Hair loss in India is no longer just a cosmetic concern; in fact, a widespread, early-onset condition affecting both men and women. Increasingly, it reflects deeper issues related to lifestyle, stress, and nutrition. Rohan, 32, first noticed his hairline receding during work-related video calls. Meera, 28, became alarmed when she saw excessive hair fall while washing her hair. Their experiences are far from unique. Across India, younger individuals are facing noticeable hair thinning much earlier than in previous generations. The extent of the problem is significant. Studies indicate that around 58 per cent of Indian men between 30 and 50…

Riya, a 34-year-old marketing professional in Mumbai, had tried everything—intermittent fasting, gym memberships, and multiple diet trends. Despite temporary success, nothing worked sustainably. When she heard about a weekly weight-loss injection, it seemed like the breakthrough she had been waiting for. Within a few months, she lost over 12 kilograms with minimal effort. However, the transformation came with unintended consequences. Riya began experiencing persistent fatigue, noticeable hair thinning, and a general sense of weakness. What initially appeared to be a miracle solution began to raise concerns about what was happening beneath the surface. Her experience reflects a broader trend now…

Rajesh Kumar had never given much thought to his liver. At 42, he resembled many urban professionals in Mumbai: long working hours, frequent business meals, minimal exercise, and an expanding waistline he kept promising to tackle “soon”. The signs were subtle at first: persistent fatigue, occasional bloating—nothing that seemed alarming. During a routine health check-up, his doctor noted mildly elevated liver enzymes. “Do you drink?” the doctor asked.“Rarely,” Rajesh replied. An ultrasound was advised. The report read: fatty liver. Relieved that it was not alcohol-related, Rajesh dismissed it. “It’s common these days,” he thought. No treatment was initiated and life…

Rajesh, a 56-year-old office professional, had always considered himself reasonably fit. He walked daily, rarely fell ill, and managed long work hours with ease. But over the past year, he had noticed subtle changes. Climbing stairs felt harder. Carrying grocery bags seemed unusually tiring. His once-firm grip had weakened. “Maybe I’m just getting older,” he thought. When a minor slip left him with persistent knee pain and difficulty standing from a chair, his doctor explained something Rajesh had never heard of before – sarcopenia, a gradual loss of muscle mass and strength that often begins quietly in midlife and progresses…