logo
Delhi gets its first brain health clinic; 10 more planned across city

Delhi gets its first brain health clinic; 10 more planned across city

Time of India18-05-2025
New Delhi: Delhi's first dedicated
brain health clinic
has been set up at the
Indira Gandhi Hospital
in Dwarka, officials said. The clinic, inaugurated by Delhi
Health Minister Pankaj Singh
on Saturday, promises "district-level access" to
neurological treatment
and rehabilitation within the next year, they said.
Set up under India's Brain Health Initiative with support from
NITI Aayog
and technical partner
IHBAS
, the clinic will offer screening and therapy for stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's, dementia, migraine and other disorders, along with counselling and
tele-neurology
links for follow-up care, a statement said.
"This is not just a facility, it is a mission. Whenever you face a brain-related problem, come here. Don't hide or delay treatment. Similar centres will be opened in every district," Singh said.
Neurological conditions are already the world's second-biggest cause of death and the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), the statement said.
Delhi plans to replicate the Dwarka model across all the 11 districts in the capital, combining clinics with lifestyle-modification counselling and caregiver support, while IHBAS will train the staff and monitor the outcomes, it said.
The initiative aligns with the recommendations of NITI Aayog's National Task Force on brain health chaired by IHBAS Director Rajinder Kumar Dhamija.
It is backed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's commitment to building a "future-ready" health system, the statement said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Irregular sleep linked to ‘172 diseases' including diabetes, kidney failure and Parkinson's, finds largest-ever study
Irregular sleep linked to ‘172 diseases' including diabetes, kidney failure and Parkinson's, finds largest-ever study

Hindustan Times

time7 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Irregular sleep linked to ‘172 diseases' including diabetes, kidney failure and Parkinson's, finds largest-ever study

For years, sleep experts have cautioned against getting too much sleep, linking it to heart disease, depression, and even premature death. However, new findings from the largest study of its kind suggest the real issue may not be the amount of sleep but how inaccurately we report it. (Also read: Cardiologist explains how a simple blood test can predict heart attack risk years in advance: 'Before symptoms appear…' ) New study finds irregular sleep patterns tied to major health risks and chronic diseases. (Freepik) Why most people are wrong about how much they sleep Researchers equipped nearly 90,000 adults with fitness trackers to objectively measure sleep patterns and followed their health outcomes over seven years. The study published in the journal Health Data Science on June 3, 2025, found that many participants who claimed to sleep more than eight hours were actually getting six hours or less. These 'false long sleepers' were likely skewing previous studies that relied on self-reported sleep, inflating the perceived health risks of long sleep. The research reveals a major flaw in decades of sleep research, people often misjudge how much they sleep. When scientists looked specifically at people who both reported and objectively had long sleep durations, the associated health risks nearly vanished. Disrupted sleep rhythms linked to hundreds of diseases Led by Dr. Qing Chen from China's Third Military Medical University, the research used accelerometers from the UK Biobank to go beyond self-reporting. These wrist-worn trackers offered detailed insights not only into how long participants slept but also when they slept, how fragmented their sleep was, and how consistent their sleep patterns remained across days. Researchers found that optimal sleep could prevent over 20% of cases for 92 diseases. (Shutterstock) This granular data revealed that disrupted sleep rhythms, irregular schedules, poor consistency, and fragmented rest were linked to 172 diseases, including major chronic conditions. For example, individuals with highly disrupted sleep rhythms had three times the risk of age-related frailty and double the risk of developing gangrene. Even more strikingly, disrupted sleep rhythms were tied to: 37% of Parkinson's risk 36% of Type 2 diabetes risk 22% of acute kidney failure risk Researchers calculated that for 92 diseases, over 20% of cases could theoretically be prevented with optimal sleep. Sleep consistency matters more than duration While most health advice focuses on getting 7–9 hours of sleep, this study found that when and how consistently you sleep might be even more critical. Disrupted sleep rhythms were linked to 83 diseases not previously connected to sleep duration, conditions like COPD, kidney failure, and Type 2 diabetes. Validation through U.S.-based NHANES data confirmed these surprising associations, especially the strong link between irregular sleep and COPD. Researchers also identified biological markers, like elevated white blood cells and C-reactive protein, that may explain how disrupted sleep leads to disease through chronic inflammation. Despite its strengths, the study had limitations: it focused on a largely White, healthy group and measured only one week of sleep data.

Caffeine isn't the villain you thought: Doctor says your coffee habit might actually protect your brain and heart
Caffeine isn't the villain you thought: Doctor says your coffee habit might actually protect your brain and heart

Time of India

time7 hours ago

  • Time of India

Caffeine isn't the villain you thought: Doctor says your coffee habit might actually protect your brain and heart

From Plant Defense to Human Superpower A Cup a Day May Keep Parkinson's Away Brewed to Lower Blood Pressure? It's in Your Genes Enjoy it (If It Likes You Back) For decades, caffeine has lived a double life. In the public imagination, it's a jittery crutch to survive long meetings and groggy mornings — a guilty pleasure best consumed in moderation, if at all. But emerging evidence and a strong statement from nutrition expert Dr Federica Amati suggest it may be time to give caffeine a fresh PR Amati, head nutritionist at Zoe — a health science company co-founded by Professor Tim Spector — recently told The Mirror that caffeine isn't the health villain it's often made out to be. In fact, she says, it might just be the unsung hero in your pantry.'Caffeine is the world's most consumed psychoactive drug,' Dr Amati noted in an Instagram post. But far from sounding an alarm, she sees this as a window into its natural and evolutionary roots. Caffeine, she explained, is a type of phytochemical — a compound plants produce to defend themselves from pests. But when humans consume it, those same properties appear to offer a surprising range of health tea, chocolate — these aren't just mood-lifters. They're functional foods , she the most striking claim? Caffeine could help reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease. 'Coffee can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and it's protective against diseases like Parkinson's,' said Dr Amati. Backing this up, The Mirror cites a study that found a significantly lower hazard risk for both the development and progression of Parkinson's among caffeine it doesn't stop study referenced in the report found that moderate coffee consumption may lower the risks of hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and even all-cause mortality. Even dark chocolate — often seen as an indulgence — may lower blood pressure thanks to its caffeine and polyphenol Amati also pointed to the benefits of green and black tea, calling green tea especially 'brilliant for metabolic health' and noting that even freeze-dried coffee offers perks thanks to its higher fibre and lower caffeine not all bodies respond to caffeine the same way. Whether your morning espresso powers you through the day or leaves you restless at night depends largely on genetics. 'If you have lots of copies of the gene that makes the enzyme that breaks caffeine down, you can have a cup of coffee and get to sleep afterwards with no problems,' said Dr the flip side, those who lack this genetic variant might find themselves feeling wired from just a single morning Dr Amati's take is nuanced. Caffeine isn't a universal prescription, but it's certainly not a universal poison either. 'Whether caffeine is good for you or not depends on you and your genetics,' she concluded. Still, she encourages people to enjoy their caffeinated beverages — or even decaf versions — because the plant chemicals they contain remain beneficial across the board.'If you enjoy caffeine and don't experience any negative side effects… then absolutely enjoy it!'

License overload, inconsistent regulations hurting healthcare businesses:  NATHEALTH
License overload, inconsistent regulations hurting healthcare businesses:  NATHEALTH

Time of India

timea day ago

  • Time of India

License overload, inconsistent regulations hurting healthcare businesses: NATHEALTH

New Delhi: Calling for a complete overhaul of the existing regulatory and licensing framework in India, industry representative NATHEALTH flagged that the country's 'complex regulatory structure is creating compliance bottlenecks for the healthcare sector and preventing ease of doing business.' In a meeting with the Niti Aayog members, the lobby group presented a whitepaper highlighting that, healthcare industry is one of the 'top three' regulated sectors in India, where 60 per cent of regulations are decentralized, thereby leading to complexity of compliance due to lack of standardization. The white ciphered co-authored by EY covers three sectors in healthcare viz hospitals, diagnostics and medtech and underlines that businesses operating under these segments face multiple or numerous licensing requirements and are struggling with a highly dynamic and changing regulatory landscape with little or no transition time. Speaking to media after their meeting with Niti Aayog, Ameera Shah, President, NATHEALTH, said, 'Under the white paper we have highlighted that regulatory standards vary frequently across different states, and there is often a lack of clarity regarding these regulations.' 'Among the segments, there are variations, with diagnostics being less regulated, while hospitals and medtech face much stricter regulations,' Shah added. Sharing the MedTech-related concerns raised during the meeting, Himanshu Baid, Vice President, NATHEALTH, said, 'Being classified as drugs, MedTech products are overregulated and at the meet we highlighted the Quality Control Orders (QCOs), which are hampering the manufacturing of medical devices in the country.' 'We also highlighted issues such as the overlap between government departments and labeling challenges, where we are regulated by both the CDSCO and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, " Baid added. On Niti Aayog's response, Baid apprised, 'NITI was very receptive to the issues raised, and we will meet again in about eight weeks with concrete solutions and for further discussions.' Secondly Niti Aayog shares NATHEALTH's view that there should be a separate Act for medical devices, he added. As per Shah, the whitepaper shared with the government policy think tanks includes a total of 70 regulatory and licensing challenges of which 12 have highlighted as the 'top challenges which require urgent attention.' For hospitals the whitepaper outlines issues like state registrations for medical practitioners leading to multiple UIN generations and administrative burden, Licensing of blood banks required for central and state licensing authorities, among several others. Similarly for the other two segments diagnsotics and MedTech it includes Lack of standardization in clinical establishment regulations across states, different licensing authorities based on activity and class of device leading to multiple registrations and delays. Besides these issues the papers includes two long standing agnostics issues related to the restriction on hospital building heights that is stated to reduce the number of hospitals bed capacity and concerns over stringent penalties imposed in case of failure to obtain or renew consent in a timely manner. Among its key recommendations, the whitepaper features short, medium and long term suggestions for addressing them including single window clearance, adoption of global standards–ISO and embracing digitization— health records, signatures. 'We seek government support to address these hurdles, which will help the sector grow faster and improve patient access,' Shah noted.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store