Hemophilia is a condition seen in some persons when the blood does not clot or coagulate when a blood vessel is cut. This is a hereditary genetic disorder and mostly seen in males due to genetic factors while females are asymptomatic carriers. Normally clotting agents work when a blood vessel is cut due to an injury of other factors and a scab is formed but in hemophilic this does not happen and this condition makes a hemophilic to be extremely cautious to avoid an injury, even a small cut while shaving, to avoid the blood loss. Hemophilia is rarely seen in women.
Thirteen factors are needed to make the blood clot and it does not clot when factors VIII and XI are lacking in the blood. These two factors in the shape of lyophilised powder have to be injected into a patient to make the blood clot.
There are two types of hemophilia, A and B and its incidence is one among every 5,000 to 10,000 and around 1300 children are born with this genetic disorder every year in India. The number of patients in the country is around one lakh.
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Unfortunately due to ignorance, blind beliefs that it is happening due a course or black magic, etc. hemophilia is not detected and treated from an early age. It is necessary to conduct tests to determine hemophilia in a new born baby and also for the doctor to enquire about the family history. If there are hemophiliacs among the blood relations of the baby, tests must be conducted and control methods must be taken. Hemophilia is not curable but can be controlled. If not controlled, it will also cause internal bleeding.
However, the treatment is expensive, running into some thousands of rupees every month and more if the complications are more, and the cost has to be born lifelong. For families that have modest means of income, it is a huge burden.
The Hemophilia Society is conducting awareness programmes and trying to bring some financial relief to hemophiliacs but the government has to help the patients in a big way, says a noted surgeon and president of the local unit of the society V. Chandrasekharam.
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Yoga keeps a person healthy and fit. The ancient Indian system is also known to help combat a number of physiological disorders. The system is now being promoted for its therapeutic nature. There are customised regimens that are being promoted to cure certain illnesses. There are yoga centres that offer treatment for diseases like asthma, back pain, arthritis, neck pain, diabetes, and hypertension, among others.
The patients are required to follow a rigorous diet control apart from a regimen of specific yogasanas for different diseases. Yoga practitioners are offering it to help people get rid of addictions like tea, coffee, cigarettes and liquor, among others. They say that once you get a taste of this (yoga) you would not want to go back to the addiction.
Reporting by G. Narasimha Rao