Botanical name : Azadiracta indica.

Names of the tree in different regions:

English : Indian lilac or Margosa.
Hindi : Neem.
Saskrit : Nimba.
Telugu : Vepa.
Tamil : Vepamaram.
Marathi : Limba.
Bengali : Nimgachh.
Kannada : Hebbavu.

Neem is Valuable tree that has got several medicinal properties. Each and every part of the tree is use useful.

It has been used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines for centuries.

Neem is native tree of  South Asia and had spread to all tropical areas of the world.

Hindus worship the tree and use traditionally in many aspects during the festivals. The tree grows to a height of 30 meters and the trunk grows to about 2.5 meters. It has thick foliage.

Neem is used as a pesticide, fertilizer, and in traditional medicine of Ayurveda. Besides it provides a thick shade and it is believed that taking rest under the tree improves health by supplying good amount of pure oxygen.

Medicinal uses of Neem:

• Because of its anti oxidant properties, it improves the immunity in HIV patients and helps in controlling the disease.
• Neem is used to prevent malaria.
• Neem has antiseptic and antifungal properties.
• Neem leaves repels mosquitoes and other insects and hence it is used as an insect repellant.
• Neem protects the gums and teeth because of its antiseptic properties.
• Tender stems are used to clean the teeth and the tongue and is used as a dentifrice.
• Regular brushing cures pyorrhea and prevents bad breath of the mouth.
• Neem protects the skin from skin diseases. Extracts, oils, decoctions are used.
• Neem oil is used for killing the head lice even in dogs also.
• Neem oil is used in the treatment of wounds to repel flies as an external application.
• Neem is used to expel the worms and acts as an anthelimintic.
• Neem is antiviral and prevents the spread of viral diseases like Chicken pox and Small pox.
• Neem is also used in birth control. Neem oil is to be applied externally in the vagina that acts as a spermicidal agent and prevents pregnancy. Regular usage of Neem tea is said to prevent Pregnancy.

Traditional uses of Neem tree:

Neem twigs are tied in bunches in front of the house to prevent the spreading of the  diseases like chicken pox, Small pox and other viral diseases. It also gives an indication that somebody is infected with a contagious disease and the twigs are tied for preventing the spread of the disease.

A bed is laid with Neem leaves to the patients affected with Smalll pox and Chicken pox.

Bunches of twigs are used as hand fans to the patients suffering with Smallpox or Chicken pox.

Hindus worship the village deities with Neem leaves.

Telugu people prepare a special chutney with flowers of Neem on Telugu New Years day (Ugadi) along with other new materials Jaggery, tamarind and other fruits. First they offer this to God and eat later by all the family members and celebrate the festival.

The wood obtained from the Neem tree is used in the making of windows and front doors and is believed to be auspicious.

Neeem leaves are mixed in the food grains to prevent insects spoiling it as a insect  repellent.

Commonly used Neem preparations:

Neem soaps and Shampoos.
Neem oils.
Neem powder.
Tooth pastes.
Neem Tea.

Hantavirus is a life threatening disease that spreads to humans through rodents. These are the negative sense RNA viruses belonging to the Bunyaviridae family.

Causes of Hantavirus:

Humans can be infected with hantavirus through rodent bites, urine, saliva or contact with the rodent contaminated waste products. The main carrier of the hantavirus are rodents especially deer mice. This hantavirus does not spread from human to human.

The rodents carrying the hantavirus are generally found in the US national parks.

The contact with the rodent contaminated products is possible during cleaning houses etc.

Symptoms of Hantavirus:

The incubation period of the hantavirus is two to four weeks and it produces influenza like symptoms:

The early symptoms:

• Chills
• Fever
• Muscle pain

• Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA): This method is used to detect the HIV antibodies. A positive EIA have to be confirmed by methods like Western blot technique or Immuno fluorescence Assay (IFA) for the detection of specific HIV proteins. p24 is the HIV core protein and is produced abundantly by the HIV. Other HIV proteins like p40, p55, gp41 and gp120 may also be analysed.

• Measurement of CD4+ Lymphocytes and Viral Load: These methods are not used to diagnose HIV infection.Viral load means the measurement of HIV RNA levels in the blood. These are the useful indexes of the disease progression. These also gives an account of the effectiveness of the antiretroviral therapy.

This can be now prevented by giving the vaccines. Oral doses of the live virus vaccine is given which is called as Sabin Vaccine. This provides immunity without actually producing the symptoms of the disease. Repeated series of booster shots are not necessary as the immunity persists for many years.

A child should receive 3 doses of polio vaccine with a duration of 6 to 8 weeks, starting dose is administered at an age of 2 months. One method employs the administration of trivalent vaccine, in this each dose contains 3 kinds of vaccine against 3 strains of polio. Three separate doses are essential to ensure complete protection.  The other method employs the administration of monovalent vaccines, in which each dose ensures protection against a different type of polio.

Causative organism
Chicken pox is caused by a virus named as varicella zoster virus whose incubation period is about 2 to 3 weeks.

Symptoms
It is characterised by symptoms like common cold, fever, general malaise and a rash. It develops hundreds of itchy fluid filled blisters which burst and form crusts.

Chicken pox produces rashes which are different from measles. It looks like bunches of blisters which are close together and filled with a fluid. There is a reddened area around each lesion. New blisters appear and the old blisters become encrusted.

The rash may affect the nose, mouth, ears, penis, vagina or scrotum. The symptoms are more severe in older than in younger ones and is accompanied by vomitting and  head ache.

This can be treated symptomatically only. The rash is very itchy and the child should be prevented from scratching it. If scratching occurs, the child may develop secondary infection and left pitted and scarred.

Treatment
Treatment involves the application of lotions like calamine lotion to relieve itching by applying it locally. When medicines are taken for a few days, the rash clears up, lesions dry and the crusts falls off.

In India, especially in Andhra Pradesh, the children are made to wear cotton clothes and they are wrapped slightly and covered with cotton clothes. The neem leaves are kept beside them as the neem leaves have anti viral property. As the itching lasts for 5 days, after 5 days the child is made to take head bath with the water boiled with neem leaves.

In Telugu it is known as Ammavaru by the people. The child suffering with chicken pox should not be moved from one place to other as it is a tradition in India. It is a belief that the disease is due to the goddess so they are not allowed to move and cross the border of that village.

The diet should be simple diet which can be easily digested and which cools the body. The food may include some fluids and curd rice. Butter milk can be given.

Symptoms of Measles :

• Sick feeling
• Fever
• Sneezing
• Running nose
• Cough
• Redness of eyes
• Rashes

Thus, the symptoms of measles include fever, cough followed by a typical rash. Rash appears first behind the ear and it slowly spreads throughout the body

There is no carrier for this disease and transmission is by droplet infection i.e., through nasal discharge and saliva of the infected person. Measles mostly affect the children who are in the age group of 6 months to 3 years. When there is disappearance of rash and fever, it indicates the termination of the disease.

In some instances, it may persist for longer periods which causes reduction in the growth, mental deterioration and even paralysis.

When the vaccination is taken, it reduces the incidence of the disease. Patient should be isolated for about a week, when rashes are seen. This reduces the spreading of the disease.

It is generally observed in the children with age group of 5 to 15 years. The source of infection is the person affected with mumps and transmission is brought about by droplets or through direct contact with the infected person. The incubation period will be generally 18 days, it may vary to 2 – 3 weeks.

The person will have pain in opening the mouth, ear ache and fever. The virus may sometimes affect the kidneys and pancreas.

As there is no specific treatment for mumps, vaccination may prevent the occurrence of mumps. The articles used by the patient must be kept separately and cleaned and the patient should be isolated until the symptoms subside so that the disease is not transmitted.

Some of the common eye troubles are :

Sty :
Sty is the pimple like inflammation of the eye lid. It is caused by infection, which may be linked to the blocking of an eye lash root or oil gland or due to general poor health.

Treatment :
It can be treated at home by applying hot water with pressure in that area for every 2 hours with a 2 hour interval. By this method, the sty opens, drains and heals.

Pinkeye (Conjunctivitis) :
Pinkeye is the acute form of conjunctivitis. It is an inflammation of the membrane lining the eyelid and covering the eye ball. Due to the inflammation, the eyes get swollen and become red and stick together while sleeping.

Conjunctivitis may be due to bacterial or viral infection and it is extremely contagious. It may also be due to allergy or chemical irritation.

Treatment :
Conjunctivitis can be treated by washing the eyes with warm water and dry it with a soft cloth or tissue paper, so that it does not spread. After that apply medicated yellow oxide of mercury ophthalmic ointment on the inner edges of eyelids. This should be done early in the morning and before going to bed at night. Close the eyes so that ointment spreads evenly. Hot water should be applied 3 to 4 times in a day.

Eye Strain :
Eye strain may be due to the need of corrective glasses or disorder of the eye or by overuse of the eyes that brings about fatigue. One of the most common causes of eye strain is due to improper lighting.

Treatment :
One who are reading or sewing should have sufficient light from the behind such that shadow does not fall, so that eyes do not get strained. The light should give comfort and it should not be dazzling. Glare should be avoided due to shiny surfaces. When watching television, the picture must be in sharp focus, the viewer should sit 6 feet away from screen. The room should not be dark.

Symptoms of Eye strain :

• Fatigue
• Tearing eyes
• Redness
• Scratchy feeling in the eye lids

Dengue fever is caused due to the virus injected into the body by the bite of a mosquito named – ‘aedes aegypti’. This mosquito bites in the morning and they grow in stagnant water. So care should be taken to prevent its growth by preventing storing of water for more days and thus avoiding its bite and growth in the surroundings.

One needs to be aware of what Blood Platelets are especially when there is Dengue around. Platelets are part of blood in addition to red blood cells and white blood cells. They help in blood clotting and prevent blood loss from the body during injuries. Platelets cells are about 1.5-4.5 lakhs  in normal individuals. If the platelets are reduced to a very low number, then they cause excessive blood flow and blood coagulation is reduced.

If the platelets are reduced to 40,000, blood loss won’t occur.

If the platelets are reduced to 30,000, slight blood loss may occur.

If the platelets are reduced to 20,000, the blood loss will be high.

If the platelets still get reduced to 10,000, intense bleeding will be there.

There may be mistakes during  platelet count, so if the count is less, testing has to be done again.

Indications for bleeding

• Small spots of blood may be observed on the skin.
• If the skin reddens due to a normal blow.
• If bleeding occurs continuously due to small wound.

Don’t neglect if any of the above conditions are observed.

Types of Dengue fevers

Though Dengue is one, based on its intensity it is of three types.

1. Normal Dengue: It is similar to other viral fevers and the temperature will be102-103 degrees. The fever decreses after two days and again it comes after one day’s gap or after few hours. Body pains will be felt and the fever lasts for seven days and it gets cured after the same number of days. Treatment is by taking analgesics (painkillers) and by taking rest. B Complex tablets are given to the patients.
2.  Hemorrhagic Dengue: It is more intense than normal dengue. After three days of fever, the blood spots will appear on skin. BP may be lower and the person affected may feel weak. Treatment should be taken under doctor supervision. Saline may be needed some times. Tests like hematocrit test and platelet count should be performed.
3. Dengue Shock Syndrome: It is a very intense type of Dengue. The skin gets reddened and blood marks are increased. The Blood Pressure gets lowered and water may get accumulated in lungs and stomach. Inflammation occurs  in the legs. The blood platelets gets much lowered. The patients should be treated in the hospitals. These patients may require platelets. If neglected, it may lead to death of patients and if treated properly they will recover.

Tests for Dengue

1. Hematocrit Test: It is the proportion of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. The result should be between 35 and 42. If it is more blood loss may occur.
2. Hess test: In this test, spygmomanometer is tied to hand at 100mm Hg for 5 minutes. Blood spots are seen at the elbow, if the spots are more than 20 blood loss may occur.
3. Dengue Antibody Test: It is a confirmatory test.

In Swine Flu patients, the virus enters into the heart and lungs and then leads to the death of patients. In this ‘Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenerator’ treatment, the patients are provided with equipment for artificial respiration to lungs and circulation to the heart. Protective measures are given to the heart and treated. This treatment is available in India in this hospital only.

Address of Narayana Hrudayalaya : 258/A, Bommasandra Industrial Area, Hosur Main Road, Anekal , Bangalore- 560099, Karnataka

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