Category: Health Scope

Health Scope

Understanding Root Canal Treatment: A Complete Guide

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Dr. Mallika Manoj Prabhudesai, Consultant Dental Surgeon

Root canal treatment often gets a bad reputation, but in reality, it’s a safe and effective way to relieve tooth pain and prevent infections from spreading. This treatment preserves your natural teeth, which is always preferable to extraction.

Why Might You Need a Root Canal?
At the center of each tooth lies the pulp – the soft tissue containing nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. It keeps the tooth alive. When the pulp gets damaged—due to deep decay, cracks, or repeated fillings—bacteria can invade, causing infection. Untreated infections can reach the tip of the root, spread to surrounding bone, and form painful abscesses, sometimes even leading to bone loss.

The Procedure Step by Step:

  1. Anesthesia: The area is numbed with a local anesthetic to ensure a pain-free experience.
  2. Access Opening: A small opening is made in the tooth to reach the pulp chamber and root canals.
  3. Cleaning: Diseased pulp is carefully removed using files or rotary instruments, followed by flushing with medicated solutions to eliminate any remaining bacteria and debris.
  4. Filling: The empty canals are filled with a biocompatible material called gutta-percha along with a sealer.
  5. Restoration: To prevent re-infection, a permanent restoration (usually a crown) is placed to strengthen the tooth, which may become more brittle after treatment.

Thanks to modern techniques and instruments, this treatment typically requires only one or two appointments.

Root canal treatment is more than just a procedure—it’s a way to save your natural tooth, protect your oral health, and maintain a confident smile.

Dr. Mallika Manoj Prabhudesai at Prabhudesai’s Elite Dental Care and Implant Center, Mandopa Navelim, Salcete, Goa, specializes in compassionate and advanced endodontic care to make your dental experience safe, comfortable, and effective.

Health Scope

Does Everyone Who Isn’t Conceiving Need IVF? A Gynaecologist’s Light Take

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Dr. Namrata Raikar

“We’ve been trying for a few months — do we need IVF?”

If you’ve asked this question recently, you’re not alone. As a gynaecologist, it’s something I hear all the time — especially from anxious couples in their 20s and 30s.

And the honest answer? No, not everyone who isn’t conceiving needs IVF.

Why the rush?

In today’s digital world, with social media filled with IVF success stories and influencers documenting every injection and ultrasound, it’s easy to think IVF is the default solution.

But the truth is far less dramatic — and far more hopeful.

When Should You Start Worrying?

If you’re under 35 and otherwise healthy, we recommend trying to conceive naturally for 12 months before seeking medical advice. If you’re over 35, that timeframe shortens to 6 months.

Why? Because conception isn’t instant — it takes time, patience, and the right timing.

Small Tweaks. Big Results.

Many couples conceive without needing high-tech treatments.
Simple steps can make a huge difference:

  • Tracking ovulation more accurately
  • Making lifestyle changes (diet, sleep, stress)
  • Addressing minor hormonal imbalances
  • Treating infections or irregular cycles

Sometimes, low-intervention treatments like ovulation-inducing medications or IUI (intrauterine insemination) can help.

When is IVF Actually Needed?

IVF is incredible, no doubt. But it’s usually reserved for specific situations like:

  • Blocked fallopian tubes
  • Very low sperm count
  • Endometriosis or severe PCOS
  • Recurrent failed IUI or unexplained infertility
  • Genetic conditions

The Bottom Line

Not conceiving immediately doesn’t mean something is wrong.
 Most couples don’t jump to IVF — and many don’t need to.
What you do need is a structured, step-by-step approach with a fertility specialist who listens.

If you’re feeling uncertain, don’t panic — start with a conversation.
With patience, the right guidance, and clarity, your journey can begin calmly and confidently.

Health Scope

ACL INJURIES IN KNEE: Treatment Options and Myths of Recovery

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Dr. Charan Phayade

Dr. Charan Phayade is a Consultant Sports Surgeon at Goa Medical College, specializing in knee injuries and sports medicine. With extensive training from prestigious institutions in the UK and membership in the Knee Surgeons of India, Dr. Phayade brings expert insights into the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of ACL injuries. In this article, he shares his expertise to help patients understand their options and dispel common myths about ACL recovery.

🔍 What Is an ACL Injury?

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the key stabilizers inside the knee joint, along with the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL). These ligaments ensure joint stability during activities like running, jumping, squatting, or abrupt direction changes.

  • ACL injuries often occur due to twisting falls, particularly in sports like football.
  • PCL injuries usually result from more severe trauma, like road accidents.

🩺 Common Symptoms

  • Instability or a “give way” sensation in the knee
  • Pain and swelling, especially during movement
  • Buckling or locking (if accompanied by meniscal injury)
  • Clicking noises in severe cases

🧪 Diagnosis & Investigations

A suspected ACL injury is initially diagnosed through clinical examination and later confirmed using MRI scanning to assess the extent of damage.

💡 Treatment Options: Conservative vs Surgical

  • Surgical: Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction (keyhole surgery) is recommended for:
    • Complete tears
    • Younger patients
    • Individuals involved in high-demand sports
  • Conservative: Partial or low-grade tears in low-activity individuals can be managed with:
    • Physiotherapy
    • Knee braces
    • Strengthening exercises

Dr. Phayade notes that treatment is highly patient-specific and should be tailored to the individual’s activity level, age, and degree of tear.

🏃‍♂️ Rehabilitation: What to Expect Post Surgery

After robust fixation using the patient’s own hamstring tendons or BTB graft, recovery milestones include:

  • Day 1: Start walking with a brace
  • 2 weeks: Begin gym cycling, swimming
  • 3 months: Resume running
  • 3–4 months: Begin squatting
  • 6–8 months: Most patients can return to sports

❗ Busting the Myths:

  • Myth: ACL surgery means long-term immobility
    Fact: You begin walking the next day with a brace!
  • Myth: Recovery always takes a year
    Fact: Many return to sport in 6–8 months with proper rehab
  • Myth: All ACL tears need surgery
    Fact: Partial tears may not, especially in non-athletes

Health Scope

Gallbladder Stone Disease: Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention Explained by Dr. Vardhan S Bhobe

allycaralgoa

Written by Dr. Vardhan S Bhobe, MS General Surgery, FIAGES, FAIS, General and Laparoscopic Surgeon

Gallbladder stone disease, or cholelithiasis, refers to the formation of gallstones—solid stones formed mainly from cholesterol or bilirubin—within the gallbladder. It is a common condition affecting up to 10–15% of the adult population, with higher prevalence in women, multiparity, individuals over 40, obese individuals, and those with a sedentary lifestyle or certain ethnic backgrounds (e.g., Native Americans).

Gallstones are broadly classified into cholesterol stones (most common in Western countries) and pigment stones (more common in Asia and in patients with hemolytic disorders or chronic infections). Cholesterol stones form due to bile supersaturation with cholesterol, gallbladder hypomotility, and mucus hypersecretion, which facilitates stone nucleation and growth.

Most gallstones are asymptomatic, discovered incidentally on imaging. However, symptomatic cholelithiasis can lead to biliary colic, characterized by sudden, intense, right upper quadrant or epigastric pain that may radiate to the right shoulder or back. This pain typically follows 2 hours after a fatty meal and may last from 30 minutes to several hours.

Complications of gallstone disease include:

  • Acute cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation)
  • Choledocholithiasis (stones in the common bile duct)
  • Cholangitis (bile duct infection)
  • Gallstone pancreatitis
  • Gallbladder empyema or perforation

Diagnosis is usually made via ultrasonography, which is highly sensitive and specific for detecting gallstones. Additional imaging like MRCP (Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography) or ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) may be necessary for suspected ductal stones or complications.

Management depends on symptoms and complications:

  • Asymptomatic gallstones typically do not require treatment.
  • Symptomatic gallstones or complicated cases warrant laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the gold standard treatment. Laparoscopic Surgery is painless, cosmetic due to minimal cuts, bloodless, without stitches, often daycare with a quick recovery and fast return to work.
  • Non-surgical options, like oral bile acid dissolution therapy (ursodeoxycholic acid) or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, are mostly ineffective.
  • In high-risk surgical patients, percutaneous drainage or endoscopic interventions may be considered, to tide over an emergency.

Prevention includes weight control, dietary modifications (low-fat, high-fiber diets), and physical activity. Rapid weight loss should be avoided, as it increases the risk of stone formation. Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Health Scope

ENHANCED EXTERNAL COUNTERPULSATION (EECP)

Tanisha Cardozo

By Dr. Milind Desai

Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is transforming the way chronic heart conditions are managed. Designed for patients with chronic stable angina, heart failure, or those unsuitable for invasive procedures like angioplasty or bypass surgery, EECP is a safe, outpatient therapy that improves circulation and heart function.

What is EECP?

EECP involves the use of inflatable cuffs wrapped around the legs. These cuffs inflate and deflate in sync with the patient’s heartbeat. During the resting phase of the heart (diastole), the cuffs inflate sequentially from calves to thighs, pushing oxygen-rich blood back toward the heart. This improves coronary perfusion and oxygen delivery.

Mechanism of Action

  1. Inflation & Deflation: Cuffs inflate in a wave-like motion from lower to upper legs during diastole, deflating just before the heart contracts (systole).
  2. Improved Circulation: This increases venous return and coronary perfusion while lowering cardiac workload.
  3. Collateral Formation: Over time, EECP encourages the development of natural bypass vessels, improving long-term blood flow.

Indications for EECP

  • Chronic stable angina not responsive to medication
  • Patients who cannot undergo angioplasty or bypass surgery
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Benefits of EECP

  • Significant reduction in angina episodes
  • Improved exercise capacity and daily function
  • Enhanced blood supply to heart tissue
  • Completely non-invasive, safe, and cost-effective

Treatment Protocol

A typical EECP course involves 35 one-hour sessions, usually 5–6 times per week. The therapy is performed on an outpatient basis, and the patient remains awake and relaxed during each session.

Safety Profile

EECP is generally well-tolerated with minimal side effects and no absolute contraindications in most patients. It is an excellent option for individuals looking for alternatives to invasive heart procedures.

 EECP offers hope to patients suffering from debilitating heart conditions who want a non-surgical treatment path. It not only improves blood flow and reduces symptoms but also enhances overall quality of life. For many, it represents a second chance at a more active and healthier lifestyle — without the risks of surgery.