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Dr Hemalata

Dr Hemalata Arora  |201 Answers  |Ask -

General Physician - Answered on Jun 22, 2023

Dr Hemalata Arora is a senior consultant who practises internal medicine at Mumbai’s Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital.
In a career spanning over 24 years, she has focused on managing infectious diseases, critical illnesses and lifestyle disorders.
Dr Arora completed her MBBS and MD from the King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College in Mumbai.
She is ECFMG certified, accredited by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Diplomate of the National Board and a DNB faculty.
She was honoured with the Paul Bunn award for her promising performance in the field of infectious diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University, New York.... more
Anand Question by Anand on Jun 01, 2023Hindi
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Hi, This is Anand. I am 39+ now. Recently 4 months back I got severe headache and visited to hospital. My BP shown 180/130. After this I did health check up and found Cholesterol >350 and B12 very low. I started medicines, diet, walk and now my cholesterol is within the limit and B12 also good. I am measuring BP now a days in home it is showing 140/100 to 130/90. BP measured by doctor is 130/90 and BP medicines going on now a days. My question - How I can come out of medicines and BP ?

Ans: Hello Anand. Controlling BP is a multipronged effort. If you are overweight, reduce weight to achieve a BMI of 23-24. Try and keep a good routine and diet with reduced salt intake. Exercise moderately about 45 min daily which should be mainly cardiovascular exercise and only 1-2 days of strength training. Try and adopt some stress busting measures like yoga, breathing exercises, developing a hobby etc. Ensure good 7-8 hours of good quality sleep every day.
DISCLAIMER: The answer provided by rediffGURUS is for informational and general awareness purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment.
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Dr Ashit

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Consultant Physician, Internal Medicine and Critical Care Expert - Answered on May 30, 2023

Asked by Anonymous - May 27, 2023Hindi
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Hello Doctor, I am 44. I was suffering from gastric issues Somewhere in Oct 2021, i started feeling anxious and all negative thoughts. As a nature, i take good care of self. But due to this anxiouness, i was unable to sleep well or even concentrate well. I thought to consult a MD and he took my BP reading, which was in range of 142/90. He avoided started any medications and advised for lifestyle changes to alter this situation, to which i stared with certain life-style changes like, - sun-bath in morning. - walking - morning & evening - meditation - in evening. i continued this till Dec 2021 and again revisited the MD in Jan 2022, to which he advised to continued with the same routine. By March 2022, i was feeling better. Again, the same story repeated in Sep2022 and this time, with lot of gastric issues, sleep troubel and feeling of fear and anxiety and again i visited him in Nov 2022, was getting more anxious. Looking at my condition he started with beta-blocker. The condition was not very much improving and i took the blood tests on my own in Nov 2022 end, to which, Lipid profile was bit out of range, HaB1c - in pre-diabetic zone and in liver tests - SGPT was 62. I visited to the MD with report and he advised me to continue with beta- blocker and to start with the statins daily 10 mg, after dinner. I continued this for Dec 2022 with life style change with yoga and meditation routines along with walks. In Jan 2023, the tests were repeated and it was all NORMAL. The doctor advised to stop the medicines wef Jan 2023 and again advised to repeated tests in Feb 2023. In Feb 2023, all parametere were normal , but Lipid profile was again out of range. The MD again started with the same medicines from March 2023 onwards ie 1 beta - blocker in morning after break-fast and 10 mg statin after dinner. I repeated the tests in April 2023 and it was again all NORMAL. Now, the MD reduced the statin drug to 5 mg from 10 mg and continued with beta - blocker. I am leading a healthy life with yoga, meditation, diets with more fibres and less oily or say no oil deits to the extent possible. I have stopped eating any outside food and fully on home made food only now. benefits till now, - Sleep paterrn improved - Gastric issues has gone - IBS gone, - better mood My questions to you sir, - The MD is again planning to stop the medications in next visit, since all reports are normal and i feel normal. is that okay? - Again, i may develop the symptoms? - I am following a better life style - yoga, meditation, walkings, proper diets, are there chances that i would remain off medicine always? - What are the benefits and disadvantages of station and beta -blockers, if at all, i have to take it? thanks.
Ans: Beta blockers have probably been prescribed for your symptoms of anxiety but they can increase the levels of the lipids. You need to consult a psychiatrist about the best treatment for anxiety.
Ideally statins need to be taken for long because the lipid levels are bound to go up once you stop the statin. We need to decide however whether you really need a statin at your age. Do you have a family history of premature heart disease. If you do not have a family history of premature heart disease, you can probably stop statins for a few years . Can consider doing a CT Coronary calcium score

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Dr Hemalata

Dr Hemalata Arora  |201 Answers  |Ask -

General Physician - Answered on Jun 07, 2023

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 01, 2023Hindi
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Hello Doctor, I am 44. I prefer healthy life and all nice in terms of health, except that I was suffering from gastric issues, IBS and related issues. I had covid also in April 2021 and somewhere in Oct 2021, i started feeling anxious and all negative thoughts. In about Aug 2021, i noticed that my heartbeats is high than normal, which initially i tried to control with routine meditation. But somehow, was not feeling that well from within and mind was like getting anxious, as if , something is happening which i could not understand, what. I visited to MD - Medicine, in Oct 2021. As a process, the vitals were taken and BP reading was taken which was 145/90. The concern MD, which after going through the reading, did not tagged me as BP patient and advised me to have changes in lifestyle with yoga, walking, meditation and dietary changes. I throughly followed the advised and started feeling better from Jan 2022 onwards and it was all nice. Again from Sep 2022 onwards, i started feeling the same issues. And i visited the MD in Oct 2022. From Nov 2022, he put me on 25mg dose of beta-blocker , daily in the morning after breakfast. While, i was on beta-blocker, i was still not feeling that nice from within and i unilaterly took the decision to go for complete blood tests in Nov 2022 end. The results were, - Lipid profile - was disturbed. - Sugar : I was in pre-diabetic range. - Uric Acid : I was on borderline high. I visited the MD with the report and he add another dose of 10 mg of Statins from Dec 2022 onwards. I followed the medication along with dietary changes, yoga & meditation routine and took the tests in Jan 2023, which shows the results as under, - Lipid : Normal - Sugar: I was back to Non-Diabtic range from pre-diabetic. - uric acid - normal. And all other parameters improved too like Hemoglobin - 15 and all other paramters of cbc was normal, thyroid - normal , Liver function - normal - when certain times SGPT was bit on higher sides, but normal in this report. With this report the MD stopped the statin drug from Feb 2022 onwards and advised me to continue with beta-blocker of 12.50 mg instead of 25 mg. I followed the same routine for full Feb 2022 and again took the test in March 2023, and results were as under, - Sugar : non-diabetic - all other paramters - normal - Lipid - Not normal. So again from March 2023, the MD started with the same statin dose of 10 mg and beta- blocker of 25 mg. I took the test in April 2023 and again the reports were normal, so now, again he reduce the statin dose to half ie 5 mg and continued with the same dose of beta-blocker 25mg. My questions: 1. AT present, i follow proper diet schedule as prescribed by dietcian , have been doing meditation and yoga on regular basis. 2. Stress level is minimum. 3. I am feeling overall better. 4. BP levels are always normal 5. Gastric issues, IBS seems to have gone. 6. Sleep patern is improved. My question: a. I feel, in the next visit the MD may stop the statin. Can the lipid profile remain in normal range , when i am follwing all diet patterms , with yoga and exercise. Why the lipid profile became abnormal, previously even when i was following all routine very property ? b. Is it okay to consume beta - blocker 25mg regularly, even after doctor told me to stop statin or may stop my statin in next visit? c. Is there any way to know, to find, if i am feeling better normally or due to medicine? as i am feeling normal and unable to check, what after i stopped beta-blocker? Any other care which i should take and lead a healthy life.
Ans: Hello. These are good questions and a lot of people go through the same stages. Cholesterol levels are generally genetically determined and don't change much from dietary or lifestyle changes. It can be reduced by medications. However if it is the only risk factor for heart disease/stroke, then it need not be corrected unless it is very high, LDL> 160. On the other hand the B blocker, if it was taken only for BP, may be stopped if BP comes down and remains normal. A closer monitoring may be required for that. If BP stays normal or low on taking the medicine, reduce the medicine and recheck, if it still stays low or normal, stop and see. Take it slow.

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Milind

Milind Vadjikar  |150 Answers  |Ask -

Insurance, Stocks, MF, PF Expert - Answered on Sep 17, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Sep 10, 2024Hindi
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Hi, I am 56 with a take home salary of about 5L per month and expect to retire in 4 years. I have about 1.2 cr in PF+PPF and 4 properties worth 2.5Cr. Cash in hand 40L and equity worth 25L. From Jan24, investing about 2L per month in MF + Shares + others and wish to continue to next 4 years. Daughter is working and likely to get married in next 2 years (anticipate a spend of 35L). Son will join MBBS in 2 years with expected fee of 30L per year. Have no loans and well covered for mediclaim and term insurance. Am i covered for the expenses? Please suggest ...
Ans: Hello;

Your PF+PPF balance you can keep untouched so it may grow into a corpus of 1.6 Cr(7.5% growth rate assumed) + regular contributions over 4 years, at the end of your work life.

At your age I recommend you to resist temptation of dealing in direct stocks or even pure equity mutual funds due to the very high risk of volatility.

I propose you to put 30 L(6 month pay coverage) as emergency fund in ICICI Pru Liquid fund(Best returns on 6M criteria)+ facility of instant redemption upto 50K & balance T+1 working day.

10 L balance from cash in hand + 25 L of stock holdings could be invested in Tata money market debt fund(best returns on 1 year criteria). Both these funds have moderate & low to moderate risk profile respectively. This will serve as your corpus for daughter's marriage and grow for 2 years in the meanwhile.

The 2L investment per month which you have began from Jan-24 is expected to go into MF sip+ direct stocks+ other.

For the other investment you are the best judge but here again I would humbly appeal to you to avoid equity MFs and direct stocks considering your age and high risks associated with these asset type direct exposure.

I propose you to invest in equity savings fund instead which are less riskier then pure equity funds and can yield decent return too. I recommend two funds in this category with best returns on 5 yr criteria & AUM above 1K Cr. Mirae Asset equity savings fund and Kotak equity savings fund.

A 2 L sip into these two funds for 4 years will yield a corpus of 1.16 Cr (Modest return of 9% considered). This will fully cover the cost of education for your son.

The best aspect of your financial planning which I admire and respect is No loans, well covered for mediclaim, term insurance and investment in real estate.

I have given my opinion, ultimately you are the best judge.

Feel free to revert in case of any query.

You may follow us on X at @mars_invest for updates

*Investments in mutual funds are subject to market risks. Please read all scheme related documents carefully before investing

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Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Sep 17, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Sep 17, 2024Hindi
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Sir I am btech - industrial biotechnology (4 years ) student. Now I'm in 3 rd year . My family financial situations didn't ain't me study msc or mtech or going abroad. So.. I'm planning to work hard for an year to get government job in my biotech field. However, biotech in india is just in it's initial stages . I didn't find good jobs in biotech industry for graduates and I even google many times about this concern. Could you please guide me ? What are best rated - government and private jobs in biotechnology field for biotech graduates ? I want each of jobs list If not any other alternatives ? What are the entrance exams I can appear for mtech pursuing at free of cost in India ? Is there any entrance exams to get a govt job in biotech field for graduates ? I'm bothered with many quests???????? I'm so... Worried about my career . Hope I'll get my answers from your team as soon as possible Thank you ????
Ans: Biotechnology graduates can apply for various positions in government organizations, research institutes, and labs. Below are some of the key government organizations where biotechnology graduates can find jobs:

Government Organizations:
Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
National Institute of Immunology (NII)
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL)
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) as technical assistants or lab technicians
Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)
Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)
Public sector units (PSUs) like Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Limited (BIBCOL)

Key Entrance Exams:
GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering): Scores in the Biotechnology paper can help you get into prestigious institutes like IITs and NITs for M.Tech with scholarships.
DBT JRF BET: Provides a fellowship to pursue a PhD in biotechnology.
ICMR JRF: For research fellowship and PhD positions.
CSIR UGC NET: For lectureships and research in biotechnology.
JNU CEEB: For postgraduate programs in biotechnology across many universities in India.

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Milind

Milind Vadjikar  |150 Answers  |Ask -

Insurance, Stocks, MF, PF Expert - Answered on Sep 17, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Sep 09, 2024Hindi
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Hi I am 44 years old working for almost 21years now. I have accumulated close to1.6Cr of corpus through diversified portfolio in FD, MF, Stocks etc. I am undergoing health issue post recovery from a major illness and not able to mentally and physically cope up with the demand of the Job which is paying me around 2.5L/Month. I want to settle for a less demanding job even at 50% lesser salary. With my current corpus how to invest it so that i get a monthly interest to maintain my current lifestyle without reducing my corpus.
Ans: You can buy immediate annuity from an insurance company for your corpus of 1.6 Cr as joint holding by you and your spouse and return of purchase price to you, your spouse or nominee either after completion of tenure or expiry of the annuity holder/s.

Assuming modest rate of 6% will yield you a monthly income of 80K per month(pre-tax).

You can always negotiate and shop to get a better rate for your annuity.

If you suppliment this with low stress, less exertion job at 50% of your current salary you will have monthly income of 1.25 L + 0.8L = 2.05 L per month.

Although annuity rates are typically lower you can lock them for a longer tenure.

Most companies or banks offer 5 year FDs.

Few do offer 10 year FDs but then you have TDS deducted at 10% from your interest payout. Also FDs are not entirely risk free.

In case of annuity TDS is not deducted, so far, since tax liability is with the annuity holder.

Please do take care of your health and wish you speedy recovery.

In case you any other concerns, feel free to revert.

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Milind

Milind Vadjikar  |150 Answers  |Ask -

Insurance, Stocks, MF, PF Expert - Answered on Sep 17, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Sep 17, 2024Hindi
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Sir, I had invested in HDFC Sanchay Plus in Long-Term Income Plan. It was a insurance and regular income plan for a period of 30 years. I paid up for five years as mandated by the policy. The pay out would commence from 7th year annually upto 30 years. The principal amount would be paid on completion of 30th year of enrollment. I appears the return of investment was less than 5% and diminishes further with time. I decided to withdraw from the scheme however the HDFC Life is deducting a huge sum from the invested amount. I requested to atleast return the principal amount invested without any add-on. But HDFC Life is referring to the policy clause and declining to return the invested amount. How can I retrieve the invested amount in this scenario. Thanking you in anticipation.
Ans: Most of the people make this mistake of considering insurance coupled with investment as good combination. The fact that insurance regulator allows insurance companies to use words such as "Guaranteed", "Assured" which entice gullible investors, makes things more difficult.

Endowment or money back policies never yield return over 5 to 6%.

Even ULIP policy returns above a threshold will now be subject to long term capital gain tax apart from fund management, policy administration and other heavy charges during first 5 years.

Insurance is for pure protection hence term insurance with appropriate riders is best option.

Unfortunately there is no way you can seek higher surrender value payment because you are contractually obligated by the terms and conditions of the policy agreement.

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Milind

Milind Vadjikar  |150 Answers  |Ask -

Insurance, Stocks, MF, PF Expert - Answered on Sep 17, 2024

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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