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Why smoke away and waste your life while you can live it to the fullest instead by saying no to tobacco? Breathe lungful of air and stay healthy. 

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From 1st June 2020, Ovum brings you complete baby development medical assistance. Dr. Nandini Mundkur & team will take the responsibility and help you with early detection and intervention services. Schedule your appointment now!

Best Maternity Hospital in Bangalore

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Best Vedado Flat Black Brand - Cigar Conexion, we have an exclusive outlook store for cigars come and visit the ocean of the Cigars at cigar conexion

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Best Preschool in Bangalore

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Best University for Arts and Humanities 

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What Are The Top Brands In Cigars?

It is a fact that cigars have always been associated with a touch of sophistication and opulence. Have you noticed that the popularity of cigars has risen in the past few years? This is because the younger generation is getting more attracted to the charm and glamour associated with cigars. So if you are looking for a cigar shop in Bangalore, note that

Cigar conexion is a one-stop-shop that offers the finest varieties from around the world.

In this article, we will list down the ace cigar brands in the world that are considered as epitomes of luxury.

OlivaOliva is a Nicaraguan brand that is well-known amongst cigar lovers for its perfect blends that deliver a medium strength. These premium category cigars come in small, medium and full bodied cigars and are a favourite among the elites.

DebonaireThese are one of the best hand rolled cigars in the world, and the most popular choice is the "Debonair Solomone" blend that delivers a unique taste of air cured tobacco. These come with a history of 20 years to provide made out of the finest tobacco corps of Central America and Dominican Republic.

Don FidelThis is a brand with a rich Cuban legacy behind it and is one of the most popular cigar manufacturers in the world. It specialises in cigars that have a unique blend and delivers a distinct appealing aroma.

AshtonThis is another brand from the Dominican Republic that is well admired for its excellent consistency. They deliver a range of cigars that vary from mild to medium in terms of flavour. These cigars are available in any elite cigar shop in Bangalore, as they are a top choice for the A-listers in India.

Rocky PatelThese are one of the best full-strength cigars that you can choose from at any cigar shop in Bangalore. They are made in Nicaragua, and the brand seamlessly combines a youthful charisma with a rich and spicy flavour. Their elegant packaging makes them the best boutique cigars of the world. If it seems that finding the best flavour is a challenging task, you can take advantage of the special lounge in Cigar Conexion, where special tasting sessions are offered to the customers in a relaxed setting. For tobacco connoisseurs looking for the best cigar shop in Bangalore, it is a must -visit destination that combines the best flavours with the signature of opulence.

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Irritable bowel syndrome - Dr Kirthi Vidyasagar Irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder of the large intestine affecting people of all age groups including children. Now it is one of the common causes of chronic abdominal pain and it can be associated with some dysfunction in the intestinal motility resulting in alteration of the frequency and the consistency of the stools. Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional disorder with no structural abnormalities and there is no known organic underlying cause for this condition. Now some of the factors known to trigger but not cause this irritable bowel syndrome include certain food intolerances, there can be stress like new school, peer conflicts, exams, death or illness in the family, pressure to overachieve, etc. Certain illnesses like a severe gastrointestinal infection can exacerbate the irritable bowel syndrome. The symptoms of IBS can include recurrent cramping abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea. The child may feel like they have not emptied their bowels completely. There can be nausea and a sense of feeling sick. There can be some bloating and gas. Your doctor will suspect irritable bowel syndrome based on your child’s symptoms and will refer you to a paediatric gastroenterologist. Now the paediatric gastroenterologist after a good clinical exam may conduct a couple of blood tests, stool tests, an abdominal ultrasound or other imaging studies to rule out other causes for these symptoms. In terms of management, there is no cure for irritable bowel syndrome but it can be well controlled if you recognise the trigger factors and learn how to cope with them. It is a good idea to keep a food diary which you can review with your doctor in about two weeks to see what foods can be causing these symptoms. Some doctors may advice to stay away from lactose containing products as lactose intolerance may sometimes contribute to the symptoms seen in this condition. Children with constipation should be advised a high fibre diet and use of laxatives may be recommended for a short duration. Antispasmodic medication may be prescribed for severe abdominal cramping. Stress and anxiety needs to be addressed by talking with your children and discussing how to deal with it. Regular physical activity or exercise helps the body combat stress and in certain cases, counselling with cognitive behaviour therapy should help. 

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Keeping kids safe around water - Dr Kirthi Vidyasagar Now, here are some rules we need to follow to keep your kids safe when around water. You have to know that drowning is one of the unintentional accidents with delay in even a few minutes of rescue can result in loss of life. Children are at risk of drowning at all age groups. Children less than a year old can drown in bath tubs or buckets, children between 1 to 4 years old can drown in swimming pools and older kids can down in natural water bodies like the oceans, lakes etc. Some of the basic rules that you can follow when around water include constant adult supervision when your child is in or around the water, is the best way to keep them safe. Do not leave kids to play with toys in a bath tub while you are getting around to do some work. Always empty buckets after use. Keep the bathrooms closed and latched when not in use to prevent little kids exploring and playing with water unsupervised. Never go boating or indulging in any recreational activities without wearing life jackets. Now, some of the safety tips to apply when you’re around pools include laying down firm ground rules where without prior permission from the parent or without an adult accompanying, no kid is allowed to go near or in a pool. Enrolling kids in age-appropriate swimming lessons can teach them an important skill. Do not be distracted with doing anything else when your kids are in the pool. Ensure that there is a safety ring with a rope accessible near the pool. Do not let the kids run and play around water bodies. If you have a home pool, have it surrounded by four-foot high fence where the latch is high. Now, what are the things that you can do? You need to  educate the kids about the dangers of drowning which can make them more cautious. If a child is not to be seen, then always check the pool or any water body around first, as it takes only about a few seconds or minutes to cause life threatening damage when we slip under the water. Get a drowning child out of the water as quickly as possible. If possible, perform CPR and call for an ambulance or rush to the nearest hospital immediately. 

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Slapped Cheek Disease - Dr Kirthi Vidyasagar

Slapped cheek disease is a mild, self-limiting viral illness that is caused by the parvovirus B19. It affects children primarily and can, not so commonly affect teens and adults also. Now, once infected with the virus, the person develops antibodies, giving a lifetime immunity, where the child cannot get this illness again. In terms of symptoms, some kids may have no symptoms at all, when infected with this virus. Others may present with a mild illness like cough and runny nose, a fever or a headache. The symptoms will last for a few days only, without causing much discomfort to the child. Now, one to two weeks after these initial symptoms have subsided, a typical rash can appear. Now, when the rash appears, the child has no fever and is not contagious anymore. These rashes appear first on both the cheeks. They are bright and red, large patches that is warm to touch. This is a classic slapped cheek appearance. The following day, the rash can spread to the exodermis where the rash is lacey in pattern. In the next day or so, the rash can spread to the buttocks and to the trunk. The rashes can resolve in 3-7 days or it can appear or disappear over 1-3 weeks where exposure to sunlight or heat can exacerbate this rash. This illness is diagnosed clinically by your doctor when the characteristic rash appears. There is no treatment required as it is viral and usually gets better on its own. Paracetamol can be given during the fever. Now, it is usually a bodine infection in an otherwise healthy child. In can pose a problem for some children who have underlying medical conditions such as, certain types of hereditary anemia, where this infection can make the anemia far worse. If they have a compromised immune system, like HIV or cancer, or they are undergoing chemotherapy. Here, the infection can be severe and lead to serious complications. Now, pregnant women who have not had this infection before, can be in trouble as it puts them at risk for miscarriage or defects in the unborn child, when exposed to an infected person. 

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Nail Biting - Dr Kirthi Vidyasagar Nail biting is a common habit that is seen in many children and teens. Some of them outgrow it as they grow older, while some may not be able to kick the habit until adulthood. Now, in terms of causes, there is nothing specific. It is just a habit. They do for comfort during stress, they can do it out of boredom, they may bite their nails to imitate a family member doing it. They can even do it to annoy parents in a way to seek attention. Now, nail biting by itself is not harmful but, it can cause problems such as transmission of germs from fingers to the mouth, causing frequent colds and diarrhea. It can cause the fingertips to be sensitive and painful and biting the skin from the nail edges can cause it to get infected. It can make the fingers look unattractive from all the scarring and it can cause chipping of the front teeth. Now, how to deal with this nail biting? First, you can try to identify the stress. Now, factors such as new school, a move, a new sibling, overwhelmed with extra activities etc. may be a stress factor. Talk to your child about ways to deal with it. Indulge them in activities to reduce stress, like, more playtime, playing with a pet, deep breathing exercises with the family. Now, do not ridicule or punish them for nail biting. This can cause more anxiety. Positive reinforcement, by giving them stars on a chart for everyday that they don’t bite their nails and always praising their good efforts can encourage them. Discuss how unsanitary this habit can be. You can dip the fingers in bitter gourd juice or neem leaf juice to create distaste. You can paint the nails, with a non-toxic, bitter substance that is available in drug stores, which doesn’t wash off easily. Keep your child’s nails trimmed and filed. Stay consistent with your efforts to help break the habit. Team Ovum Hospital

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Pneumonia - Dr Kirthi Vidyasagar

Pneumonia is a term used to define any infection of the lungs. Now, pneumonia can be caused by a virus which is one of the more common causes in children and a bacteria. There are some non-infective causes where pneumonia can result. It can be because of aspiration of vomit, foreign body, water from a pool during drowning or inhalation of irritant chemicals. In terms of symptoms, most bacterial and viral infections begin with an initial phase of runny nose, slight cough and fever. Now, as the infection traverses down the airway and reaches the lungs, it can cause some or all of the symptoms depending upon the extent of infection. There can be fever, which is typically high which we can see in bacterial infection. Cough which is productive, where the child is coughing like a lot of yellowish-green mucus, the child could be breathing fast and in the more severe cases, there can be an added effort to breathing, with retractions between the ribs or under the ribcage. There can be chest pain. If the lining of the lungs are involved, wherein the child will find it painful to take deep breaths and may be seen splinting to one side. Abdominal pain may be present, especially if the pneumonia is affecting a lower lobe of the lung. There can be loss of appetite and very ill children can be lethargic from the labored breathing and may have a bluish tinge to the nails and lips from low oxygen levels. Pneumonia can be diagnosed clinically by your doctor when a sound called as crackles or decreased breath sounds are heard over certain areas of the chest upon auscultation using a stethoscope. Your doctor may ask for an additional test to confirm the diagnosis such as a chest X-Ray, a blood test, a sputum for culture test, a pulse oximetry to assess the oxygen saturation level in the blood. In terms of treatment, the viral pneumonia gets better on its own with just supportive treatment, which is rest, plenty of fluids and close medical monitoring. Now, severe cases may require treatment with an antiviral. Bacterial pneumonia will require an oral antibiotic prescribed to the child by the doctor if the child is clinically stable. Now, hospitalization, intravenous antibiotics, intravenous fluids and oxygen via a facial mask may be required when the child is less than a year old or the child has a pre-existing lung condition, the child is not responding to oral antibiotics for more than 48 hours, the child is refusing food and drinks and appear dehydrated or the child is having labored breathing. Now, paracetamol is usually prescribed for the fever and the child is encouraged to cough and bring out the sputum. Now, in the case of aspiration of foreign body being the cause, it will require a consultation with a pediatric pulmonologist, who upon examination, will do the necessary means to treat it and remove the foreign body. Now, what can we do in terms of prevention? The pneumococcal vaccine which is now available, helps to fight one of the most common causes, rather, bacterial causes of pneumonia. Keep your child up to date with his or her vaccine shots as some of them help to prevent the other causes of pneumonia such as, HIB or Haemophilus Infuenza B vaccine, the measles vaccine, the chickenpox or varicella vaccine and the flu vaccine. Keep your kids healthy by ensuring they drink adequate fluids and eat healthy foods. Inculcate the habit of washing hands thoroughly and regularly in your kids and keep your kids away from secondary cigarette smoke. 

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Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) - Dr Kirthi Vidyasagar Conjunctivitis or pink eye means infection of the conjunctiva, which is the thin transparent layer that covers the white of the eye and the inner layer of the eyelids. Now the causes for conjunctivitis can include viral, bacterial, allergic, chemical sprays or foreign body or it could be a blocked tear duct. Now, in viral conjunctivitis, we can see that it usually affects one eye but it can affect both the eyes and the discharge is usually clear and you can have other associated symptoms like runny nose, cough or low-grade fever. Now, when it is bacterial, we usually see that it affects both eyes, it can involve just one eye and the discharge can be thick yellowish-green and profuse. Now, in terms of allergic, the discharge is usually transparent and is a clear stringy type of discharge and it is associated with itching and tearing in the eyes. It can be seasonal or it can be present through the year, which we refer to as perineal, depending on the allergen. If accidental  spraying of chemicals or lodging of fine objects, including eyelash, into the eye can cause redness and tearing and lead to conjunctivitis. In case of infants, a blocked tear duct can cause tearing and discharge from the eye. This discharge can get secondarily infected and the discharge may turn yellowish green at that point. In terms of symptoms, there can be redness in the affected eye and the discharge from the eye can range anywhere from being clear to yellow-green like I just discussed. Matting of the eyelashes from the discharge can cause the eyelids to be stuck together upon waking up from sleep. Itchiness and discomfort in the eyes may be present. There may be some tearing from the eye and some amount of sensitivity to light may be present. Now, in terms of management, it is a highly contagious condition and requires medical attention as soon as possible. You may apply a cold compress to the eyes and use artificial tear drops initially, till you go in to see your doctor. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require to use antibiotic eye drops or eye ointment. Viral conjunctivitis usually resolve on its own but, most of the time, since it doesn’t present too differently from bacterial conjunctivitis, you will be prescribed antibiotic eye drops. An allergic conjunctivitis will require anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory eye drops and definitely avoiding the irritant, is a good idea. In case of a blocked tear duct, it is advised to do a gentle circular massage in the prominence that you see on the skin, in the inner angle of the eye. Do it for about a minute everyday and at any point if the discharge from the eye turns yellowish-green, an antibiotic eye drop is a good idea to use. This is a very contagious eye condition and is spread by contact with the infected discharge. So, you need to keep your kids away from school and the pools till the discharge completely resolves. Thorough hand washing that of yours and your child’s is very important. Avoid touching and rubbing the infected eye. Use disposable tissues or moistened tiny cotton balls to wipe off the eye discharge and it needs to be disposed off immediately, followed by hand washing. Use the prescribed medicine until you complete the prescribed course, so as to ensure complete recovery. You have to take your child to the emergency room if any of the following worrying signs should present along with the pink eye. These symptoms include high fever, headache or vomiting. Severe eye pain, if there is redness involving the area around the eye, if there are any visual disturbances or if the child is unable to open the eye due to intense pricking sensation or pain following an accidental spray of chemical or foreign body, or an injury to the eye.  

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Prematurity - Dr Praveen Venkatagiri and Dr Adarsh Somashekar Praveen, let us discuss today what a premature baby goes through when it is admitted into our neonatal unit? Most newborns are healthy. However, some newborns do need intensive care which is called as neonatal intensive care unit, or in short, NICU. Getting admitted to the NICU is a very stressful event for the newborn and for the parents. The newborns which are tiny infants in the cradle or under the warmer, will be there. They might be attached to lot of equipment through wires and stuff. A newborn needs a support, depending on their gestational age, or level of prematurity. Either breathing support giving oxygen through the nose or through a tube called endotracheal tube, where they are connected to a machine called ventilator. They may have lines which are inserted in the veins or through the belly button, where the nutrients are given. Some babies are fed through a tube which is placed through the mouth into the stomach or some babies might be receiving medications through the injection IV lines. Would you want to tell more about the initial days and how subsequently things change? The journey of a premature infant is very prolonged and depending on the gestation age, they may stay for anywhere between one week to ten days or up to 3 months of age. Now, the problems come at different ages of these infants and it can be rollercoaster of emotions.  As soon as they are born, they need a lot of breathing support and machine support. But as the day’s progress, one by one support could be withdrawn depending on the infant’s response. Parents will be updated regularly about the progress however, the main is the outcome, which cannot be predicted. What is the cost involved since the journey can last from anywhere between a week to 3 months? Once you are in a hospital for that long, the cost involved in managing the infant could be very high. This includes the stay, the equipment being used, the medications, the investigations and of course, the health professional charges. Now, this depends on the place where the newborn is getting admitted, ranging from to very minimal to very high. And also in the initial days, the cost will be very high and as and when the support to the infants reduces, the cost could also be reduced. If the baby is staying in the unit for a month or two, what happens to the parents? Where do they stay? How do you support them? As I mentioned, in the case of extremely premature infants, the attachment to the newborn itself takes time because the premature infants do not look like full term infants. They might have a very purplish or red appearance and the bonding may not immediately take place. After delivery, while the mother is still in the hospital, they can visit any number of times without restrictions. However, once the mother gets discharged, it might be difficult for her to come to the unit. In the first few weeks, they are not required to stay in the hospital. However, once the infant is more stable and not on any breathing support, then they might be able to hold the infant and also have a skin-to-skin contact, that’s something called KMC that is Kangaroo mother care. Once they are ready to be discharged to the ward, we would require the parents to come to the hospital for training on how to look after the infant. Is there any role for the parents, even before the discharge? Parents can come and participate in the nursing care of the newborn? That’s true. Now, the care of the premature infants in the beginning is mostly done by nurses. However, prior to the discharge, we need to prepare the parents to take care of their newborn, as they were absent during the first few weeks after the delivery. So, we train them in the simplest of the things like changing the diapers, administering medications, feeding, and precautions to take during feeding. This preparation starts much before discharge and continues in the ward till they can go home. That could be reviewed during the out-patient visits. Once the baby gets discharged, how often should they visit? Which other specialists do they need to visit? Once a premature baby is discharged, a regular follow-up is necessary. This is to identify any problems and start treatment early. The number of visits changes depending on the underlying problems. For example, in case of eye problems, a specialist dealing with retinopathy of prematurity would want to see the infant every week. If there are neurological problems or in all extremely premature infants, they would need developmental follow-up. This could be during regular visits, during vaccinations, and developmental visits, which can start from around 3 months of age. Until the child has attained all milestones, developmental follow-up will be needed. Also, the nutrition plays a major role in the development of the child. Hence, during the regular visits, the nutrition will be addressed. Looking at the weight length gain is very important as well. 

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What is a flexible flat foot - Dr Kirthi Vidyasagar What is a flexible flat foot: The flexible flat foot is an extremely common condition which you can see in children. Here, there is a loss of normal longitudinal arch of foot upon standing but, the arch can be seen while walking on tiptoes or upon sitting with legs hanging off the floor, that is when the feet are not weight bearing. Now, most cases of the flexible flat foot are a variant of normal and we can see a natural foot arch develop by the age of 6 years and above. The flexible flat feet can persist for longer in certain conditions such as obesity or if the condition is inherited, where we can usually elicit a positive family history or if it is a secondary to a tighten heel cord, which is the Achilles tendon. Now, flat feet can rarely be rigid where it can pose a problem and this rigidity can occur due to a problem with the foot bones, if there is neuromuscular disorder like cerebral palsy, polio etc. or if it is an inherited condition. Now, in terms of symptoms, most of the kids with flat feet have no symptoms at all and it causes no problem. Some kids may be symptomatic and they may be present with foot pain, walk or run a bit awkwardly, they can have cramps in the leg, they can have leg exhaustion and they can show some hesitation to participate in athletic activity. These symptomatic kids need to be examined by a doctor and might need reference to an orthopedic. Now, most flat feet are asymptomatic and require no further evaluation or treatment. The symptomatic flat feet need to be examined by a doctor. And any restriction at the ankle joint upon a clinical exam could mean that there is a tightened heel cord, which will require some stretching exercises and physical therapy. Customized foot inserts may be recommended to relieve foot strain. Ibuprofen or paracetamol may be used to relieve a bothersome foot pain. Most of the time even an x-ray is unwarranted. However, if your child is symptomatic even after conservative management or has a rigid flat foot then your orthopedic may recommend further investigations to look for any underlying causes. 

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