Dear Friends,
This is the first occasion I am penning an editorial for Happiest Health. The inspiration for this is an article by Mr Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar which he published in his widely read “Swaminomics” column. The article is titled “Why opioids need not be the answer for chronic pain” and is completely unusual for his column.
The article resonated with me as it addresses a core issue and the reason why we started Happiest Health, a knowledge enterprise. We felt that the message of Swami’s article needed to be spread far and wide. He graciously agreed to allow us free reproduction in our media.
So often we find people being prescribed medicines which create severe reactions. Sometimes yet another medicine is needed to control the side effects. In Swami’s case, the experience was far worse as he was prescribed opioids and became a victim of the opioid crisis which devastated many lives in the US. Furthermore, he was misdiagnosed for decades.
About 10 months ago, I was advised by a surgeon at a reputed hospital to undergo a heart procedure without even a physical examination. This advice came only on the basis of a CT-Angio. On obtaining second and third opinions, the CT-Angio turned out to be of dubious veracity. I avoided the surgery and during the last 10 months I have gone about my busy schedule of creating two new healthcare enterprises and happily gone for hikes up hills. If I had gone ahead with the procedure, it would have impacted my sense of well-being and my confidence to build both Happiest Health and SKAN — my not-for-profit medical research entity which focuses on ageing and neurological ailments.
Before proceeding, I must say that most doctors give you excellent advice and many surgeons will tell you that a given procedure can be avoided. I have great respect for the many surgeons and doctors I personally know, with a few notable exceptions like the cardiologist referred to above.
At Happiest Health, our goal is always to help the reader play an active part in their healing process by asking the right questions and seeking alternative opinions. We are devoted to exploring kinder, gentler therapies.
SKAN, my medical research trust, is seeking ways of using technology for early diagnosis and finding therapies which may eliminate the need for surgeries. We urge you to become aware of the latest such developments as the field of medical science is undergoing dramatic transformation with many new discoveries.
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Wishing you a long, happy and healthy life.
