Health Wealth

Is autism a disease or a disorder, or neither? What determines which part of the spectrum a child will be on? And does pollution cause neuro-developmental disorders? While medical science is yet to determine the exact cause of autism, recent research is helping doctors understand better the many factors that can lead to changes in the brain of an infant.This episode explains the causes and nature of autism. Dr Sheffali Gulati, professor and faculty-in-charge at the Child Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics in AIIMS, New Delhi, has decades of experience with autism, and she shares her experiences and knowledge with us.Tune in to learn more about autism, what families face when there is a diagnosis in the family, the importance of an early start to treatment and whether gluten, sugar and mobile phones can cause autism.Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

In this episode, we delve into the often-overlooked world of health insurance, with a special focus on how younger generations, or Gen Z, approach it. Many young adults, especially those with employer-provided plans, fail to fully understand their policies, which can lead to the underutilisation of valuable benefits.In conversation with Tarun Mathur, Co-founder and CBO of PolicyBazaar.com, we explore the reasons behind this disconnect.We also discuss the challenges in claiming insurance for mental health services, including privacy concerns, and how companies address these issues through confidential therapist hotlines.So, how is health insurance evolving to match the diverse needs of individuals at different life stages? What steps are being taken to make the claims process smoother? And most importantly, how can we ensure that young adults understand and make the most of their insurance options?Listen in as we attempt to uncover it all!Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

Does it sometimes feel like finding simple, clean food at a restaurant is a rarity? Menus are bursting with garnishes, flavours and innovation. Perfect for your next reel. But hardly any of it would be considered healthy and, at times, not even tasty. In the name of fusion and fashion, food made outside of our home kitchens comes loaded with fat, sugar, salt and unnecessary starches. The coating of grease left on top of our tongues from a sandwich, the sickly sweetness after one bite of dry cake, and the incredible thirst after a plate of fries are evidence that takeout is starting to be as unhealthy as packaged junk food (and with double the price tag!).This episode was born out of a desperate hunt to find plain pancakes with no toppings in the national capital of Delhi. What was once common is now a herculean task to order. The standard butter and maple syrup on the side has been exchanged for Bischoff, Oreo, cereal crunch, flowers, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, whipped vanilla butter, and, on one menu, butter chicken.To help us understand the evolution of our restaurant industry and the food we serve, we are joined by Chef Davinder Kumar, executive chef at Le Meridien and president of the Indian Culinary Forum. Having been a chef for over 50 years, he is able to bring perspective to the overcomplication of restaurant food, where the flavour and emotional core of a recipe are lost.Tune in to learn how chefs can improve public health outcomes, how reliable calorie counts on a menu can be, and whether bacon in coffee makes sense to one of the country’s top chefs.Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

We all probably know someone who is living with type 2 diabetes, whether it's a family member, a friend, or a co-worker. The incidences of this complex lifestyle condition in India have increased rapidly, making our country the diabetes capital of the world today.Diabetes is more than simply staying away from cakes and puddings. Managing it effectively every day, particularly during festivals or holiday seasons, can be challenging and confusing. This makes it important to raise awareness about the condition, not just for those living with it and their families, but for the community.In this episode, we mark Diabetes Awareness Month with a comprehensive discussion on nutrition and lifestyle advice for diabetics. We are joined by Dr. Krishna Seshadri, Senior Consultant in Endocrinology and Diabetes at Apollo Hospital, Greams Road, Chennai, and Purvi Varma, Associate Director at Abbott and registered dietician.Tune in to discover what a healthy meal plan looks like for managing your blood sugar, the difference between regular and diabetes-specific supplements and how to satiate your appetite healthily during Christmas, New Year and wedding season.Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniSound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

To breastfeed or not? All mammals, humans included, breastfeed. But with medical advancements and alluring alternatives, breastfeeding has now become an option for many. Fuelling this choice is misinformation, shaming, anxiety and poor nutrition. Often, mothers give up breastfeeding because they either do not know any better, are suffering from health issues and lack of support to address them or simply do not have the energy to do so. In this episode, nutritionist and lactation expert from Apollo Cradle Hospital in Delhi, Divya Malik Dhawan, helps solve myths and problems common to breastfeeding mothers. We discover the importance of breastmilk to infants and the best alternatives in cases where breastfeeding is not possible. In a world where air pollution, poor nutrition, and a lazy lifestyle are already creating health issues for infants—it is important that choices made are based on full information and factual awareness. Tune in to find out support systems available for breastfeeding issues, the dark side of nipple shaming and why there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ mother. Produced by Anna Priyadarshini Sound mix by Sachin Dwivedi

Do you sometimes wonder—how exactly does my body shed fat? The internet is buzzing with weight loss diets and trends with a new one added every other week. High fibre, high fat, high protein, low carb, low sugar, gut cleanses—every diet puts forth a food group that will hopefully leave you satiated and ready for the festive season. But the truth is, none of it truly matters. One could be on a diet of cake and lose weight, albeit extremely unhealthily, while a diet of oatmeal could make you gain weight—it all boils down to how many calories you consume. To lose weight, you need to eat less calories so that your body burns its reserves of calories (often visible as that pouch on your belly).In this episode, we discover the science behind weight loss and how a calorie-deficit diet works. We are guided through the experiences and wisdom of Dr Siddhant Bhargava, fitness and nutritional scientist and the co-founder of Food Darzee and InnerGize. Not only is this episode an excellent starting point for someone who wishes to understand the basics of calorie counting, but it also provides simple advice for maintaining discipline when it comes to your diet.Tune in to learn all about calculating your required daily calories, new approaches in nutritional science and a nutritional scientist's own approach to well-being.Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniMixed by Kapil Dev Singh

What makes Indians unique? A lot of thoughts would pop up--our hospitality, culinary and cultural diversity, perhaps even how we manage to snake through heavy traffic. But the last thing one would think of is Indian faeces as a symbol of our uniqueness. Interestingly, however, that might well be true. Research has found an average Indian excretes more faeces than those in developed nations. There are also a large number of gut bacteria unique to Indians that protect us from several diseases, resulting in us having one of the lowest colon cancer and Irritable Bowel Syndrome incidences in the world.In this episode, we learn how doctors are able to use the faeces of a healthy poop donor to treat diseases of the gut. Known as a faecal or poop transplant, this procedure has high rates of treatment success and is currently done by a select few doctors in India. Dr Avnish Seth, chairman of the Manipal Institute of Gastroenterology & hepatic-biliary-pancreatic Sciences, is one of them. His team shortlists healthy donors, harvests their poop in an ice-cream cup, mixes it in a blender and then strains it through a soup strainer before inserting it into a patient using colonoscopy.Tune in to learn more about this unique procedure that has the potential to transform lives and hear why researching Indian feces is critical to improving treatments for not just gut ailments but a variety of other diseases.Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniMixed by Kapil Dev Singh

Does old age have to mean a life of light food, loneliness and physiotherapy? Instead of being our ‘twilight’ years, can it not be just another phase of life (albeit one with less hair and wobbly knees)? A dementia village in Netherlands, The Hogeweyk, found that when seniors are encouraged to have an active lifestyle—going to shops, watching movies, cooking and dancing with friends—their health improved significantly. As caregivers, the idea of letting our parents or grandparents go about town can be frightening (what if they fall?). So how do we support active ageing while ensuring safety?In this episode, Rajit Mehta, MD and CEO of Antara Senior Care, shares his own personal experiences with caring for elderly parents and how he and his family have ensured their wellbeing. The former CEO of Max Healthcare and a founding member of Max Life Insurance, he has experienced the unique physical and emotional needs of seniors in a variety of different situations. This is a discussion that is heartwarming and informative, leaving you with the wisdom needed to be an empathetic caregiver to anyone post-60. For someone who has already reached post-work life (and is wondering what to do when Google says 'no appointments scheduled'), this episode can offer a fresh perspective on finding companionship in new places with new people (are those happy smiley people in wheelchairs playing tambola at a senior care home real?).Tune in to hear if India is ready to be elder-friendly, stories of seniors who still enjoy a bucket of cold mangoes every summer and discover if someone who has given multiple talks on ageing is keen on growing old himself.Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniMixed by Kapil Dev Singh

How do you think people put on weight? By overeating, right? But what causes that overeating and why is it that despite all the endless studies and articles on the bad effects of obesity, losing weight for so many remains as difficult as ever? The truth is we have no social support structure for fat people to lean upon. Once you hit a certain number on the weighing scale, an ugly reality descends upon you—clothes don’t fit, dates are hard to find, elders begin to nag and doctors begin to list out the endless diseases you are halfway to getting. None of this results in weight loss. After all, when has isolation, shame and fear ever worked as healthy motivation for emotional control? And you need emotional control to lose weight in a world where stress and junk food is everywhere.In this episode, we are joined by a diabetes and bariatric surgeon from Wockhart Hospital in Mumbai, Dr Raman Goel, discussing the realities of weight loss. Spending the central part of his day removing body fat, Dr Goel heads the bariatric surgery division at the hospital. His surgical interventions have improved the quality of many lives. While bariatric surgery itself is not new, its use for helping to improve diabetes management in obese or overweight patients is only just gaining ground.  From who can opt for bariatric surgery to preparation as well as post-surgery recovery tips, Dr Goel gives a wholesome guide to this procedure. But first, he explains, what on earth is bariatric surgery?Tune in to hear a fat-loss surgeon’s perspectives on weight gain, fat shaming and the difficulties of saying no to relatives who haven’t quite understood that our bodies no longer need nine-course-meals (and that love doesn’t have to be sugar and butter. An emoji will do, thank you very much!).Produced by Anna PriyadarshiniMixed by Kapil Dev Singh

Have you ever fallen for the baby schema effect? It happens when human beings see cute baby animals—like a tiny bunny with fluffy ears and wide eyes. And you instantly feel like going, ‘Awww’. This isn’t because you particularly adore a creature that eats carrots and breeds as though the world would run out of rabbits if it didn’t produce enough offspring. But you feel a rush of gentle affection anyway. Research has shown that when we see baby animals, our brains release a neuro-transmitter called dopamine. Known as a happy hormone, dopamine is also released when you play video games, get a lot of love on Instagram or eat a chocolate chip skillet cookie straight from the pan. However, unlike games, reels and sugar binges, a living creature also comes with its share of responsibilities which can overshadow the cute quotient rather quickly. The image of puppy or kitten for company sounds wonderful. But what happens when your mental support animal turns out to be nothing like the ones you saw on Youtube? What if your animal refuses to play the plastic cup challenge, eats your most expensive pair of shoes and only wishes to do his business at 2am? How do you ensure your companion animal brings to your home the kind of joy you imagined and none of the horrors of pet parenting? In this episode, we get to discover these answers with conservationist and co-founder of Wildlife SOS Kartick Satyanarayan. A parent to a variety of animals himself, Satyanarayan guides us through the skills and steps required to bond with any creature. This episode is a comprehensive guide for anyone who wishes to reap the inherently peaceful effects of the natural world but without landing themselves into shit (pun intended). Whether you want to be a pet parent, already are one, or simply want to enjoy wildlife without having one in your own space—tune in and learn how to receive a whole lot of love without ever having to ask for it. Produced By: Anna Priyadarshini Sound Recording & Mixed By: Kapil Dev Singh