Ultimate teeth protection – Benefits of Miswak Miswak is a chewing stick mostly of Salvadora persica tree, produced from its twig, stem or roots. This tree is commonly known as ‘arak’ in Arabic. Miswak can also come from olive trees and walnut trees. It is like a toothbrush, used to clean teeth and maintain oral hygiene. Since Islam has always emphasized on maintaining good personal hygiene. Miswak has significant importance as a religious perspective as well as for maintaining oral hygiene. It is being used for the past 7000 years, mainly by people of Greek, Arab, Rome and Egypt. Allah’s last messenger Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w) said: “ Were it not for the fact that I did not want to make things too hard for my ummah, I would have commanded them to use the miswak at every time of prayer.” Miswak is one of the most unforgettable sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w). According to the researches, it cleanses the teeth chemically and mechanically. It is equally helpful or more at times than using the toothbrush. In this article, we are going to discuss the top 5 benefits of miswak. Fights against bacteria and germs One of the benefits of miswak is its protection against germs. Miswak has a high sulfur content, benzyl isothiocyanate and trimethylamine. Due to which it shows antibacterial properties. In our mouth at least 700 different types of bacteria are residing. Some of them are good for us, that they help in breaking the food. While some of them are harmful to our mouth. Being a source of infections, these bacteria can lead to dental cavities and periodontitis. According to a study, mint, when combined with miswak, was able to kill 20 times the more germs. As compared to simple plain mint. When mint was combined with miswak, it was able to kill 60% of the oral cavity bacteria in half an hour. While the plain mint was able to just kill 3.6% of the bacteria in half an hour. Salvadora contains alkaloid Salvadorian, that also has antibacterial properties. MIswak also shows antifungal activities due to the presence of tannic acid, that helps in removing Candida albicans, a fungus. Protects against plaque Plaque is a coating that bacteria in the oral cavity produces on a daily basis. But that plaque turns into a harder coating imparting yellow colour, known as tartar. Miswak is an amazing source to remove plaque because it is rich in chloride. Since it is a toothbrush twig, loaded with antibacterial properties. Therefore it prevents the accumulation of bacteria and excess plaque can be removed easily with miswak which the bacteria produces. It is also rich in silica, that helps in removing stains due to its abravise nature. Refreshing breath Halitosis is a condition in which unpleasant bad odour occurs from the mouth. It is an indicator that there is some dental issue going on in your mouth. Or it can also occur due to lack of saliva production. Miswak has a characteristic aroma, due to the presence of volatile oil that refreshes the breath. The volatile oils also increase salivation that helps in getting rid of halitosis. So using it five times daily will show fantastic results by imparting fresh breath all day long. Strengthens gums One of the benefits of miswak is that it strengthens gums. Plaque, when leading to tartar formation, can cause diseases of the gums like gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is an inflammation of gums or gingiva. Periodontitis is an inflammation of teeth surrounding tissues, leading to gums shrinkage. Miswak contains vitamin C that helps in fighting against bacteria and therefore prevents plaque buildup. It also helps in healing and repairing of damaged tissues. If you are facing any of the gum problems, start using miswak 5 times a day. This would show amazing benefits. It would reduce pain and inflammation as well. Miswak is the ultimate source of teeth protection Miswak has amazing antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. But along with that, it has anticarcinogenic properties. That means it would prevent the occurrence of oral cancer upon use. It contains a compound benzyl isothiocyanate that is chemopreventive in nature. It also contains antioxidants like peroxidase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase. These antioxidants are also anticarcinogenic in nature and help in preventing cancer. Along with that, miswak shows analgesic properties. That means it will help in pain reduction in the oral cavity. Since it helps in repairing tissue damage and decreases inflammation. It is easy to use and light on the pocket as well. Miswak has a refreshing taste and nice odour that keeps the mouth clean and refreshed. The volatile oils release gas that gives it taste and refreshing odour. Miswak removes stains, makes your teeth clean and white. It also helps in fighting against bacteria, viruses and fungus. All of these activities make it an ultimate source of teeth protection. For more information, visit here.
How Can Older People Stay Safe From This Pandemic? Older adults and people seem to be at higher risk. We can make sure that older people stay safe. But people with severe diseases like cancer, heart, lungs, and diabetes are at higher risk. They can develop more complications from the infectious disease. Because 8 out of 10 deaths in the US have been in 65 years and older. Here are some stats: Estimated percent requiring hospitalization 31-70% of adults 85 years old and older 31-59% of adults 65-84 years old Estimated percent requiring admission to an intensive care unit 6-29% of adults 85 years old and older 11-31% of adults 65-84 years old Estimated percent who died 10-27% of adults 85 years old and older 4-11% of adults 65-84 years old However, the fatality rate of people over 80 years from this pandemic is almost 15% from China. Older people do not have a robust immune system to cope with this pandemic. This pandemic is impacting the global population in drastic ways. In many countries, it is difficult for older people to stay safe and they are facing severe threats and challenges at this time. On the other hand, all age groups are at risk of exposure to the virus. However, older people can develop a severe illness if they contract due to the psychological changes that come with aging and potential health conditions. During this time of isolation, we should treat all older people treated with high respect and dignity so they stay safe. Likewise, support for older people’s families, their near ones, and their caregivers are an essential part of the countries’ comprehensive response to the pandemic. Care of Diet and Medicine During times of isolation and quarantine, older people need safe access to nutritious food, necessary supplies, money, medicine to support their physical health, and social care. Older people should have access to accurate information. So, they should be told how to stay physically and mentally fit during this pandemic and what to do if they fall sick. They are often dependent on communities and carers to maintain their daily routine. The care of mental health during troubled times is also a key consideration. Social Challenges To keep your grandparents or parents safe because you can not visit them. However, this does not mean to isolate them socially. Physical distancing is not social isolation. The older people might have isolation or mobility challenges. As a result, they might not know what to do. In many societies, seniors are most lively to live in poverty. Therefore, this makes it difficult for them to get food, and they can not even take care of them. To stay at home might be difficult. This is not asked to change their behavior forever, but just for three to four months. When you look at the curve of Wuhan and Hubei, It’s only been three months. So stay at home for three months, and it will be alright. There are some simple steps that you can do to keep them safe and fit during this pandemic. Family Get Together You can plan family gatherings not physically but virtually. This will help them to cope with their loneliness. Research shows that older people are more likely to talk with their grandchildren. Precautions in Checkups Whether it is routine checkup or emergency, take all precautionary measures. Call a doctor at home for a regular checkup for table condition or electoral procedure. Consult with a doctor before any move. You can use telehealth services like Instacre is providing free guidelines related to the pandemic and infectious virus. Encourage Activities If they are still doing their exercise and following their diet and health care routine, appreciate and encourage them. Ask them to practice all types of training like strength and flexibility etc. Plan ways if they fall sick “Expect good and prepare for the worst” thing applies here because they fall ill. This will enhance the delivery of emergency health care to them instead of unable to understand what happens. On the other hand, if you did not think about it, then it will create panic and even cause significant loss. Create a list of organizations For this, create a list of organizations that can properly guide you on what to do in that situation. For this purpose, the government of Pakistan created a helpline for the guidance of individuals. You can call on 1166 to ask for more details about the disease. Instacare is providing free counseling on this high time for serving the community. You can call on 092-317-9797-297 for guidance from medical experts. In short, there are many ways through which we can prevent them. We can engage them and keep them mentally and physically fit when this pandemic will over; they can easily follow their previous routine. Meanwhile, they need our attention and support. Loved ones check in with older adults about their support networks, and help them find ways to stay connected to these groups and routines. Some religious and civic organizations may already have a plan in place for reaching out to older adults in their community. If so, make sure that the older adults know that too, and help them connect with whatever services may be available to protect them.
How To Workout During Quarantine Period? Everyone nowadays has to stay in quarantine due to coronavirus outbreak. This is bad for health since many people just eat and sleep all day long. WHO has asked the healthy people to stay physically fit by doing workout during quarantine at their home. Gyms are already closed globally, so to stay safe and healthy we should try to work out at home. Staying physically fit will also help you to fight against coronavirus because this virus adversely affects the person’s lung. If they are already weak and unfit, they can face worse symptoms. Apart from it, exercise is necessary for ourselves. Only do exercises if you are healthy, do not do any exercise if you are having any of the coronavirus symptoms like cough, fever, and shortness of breath. In this article, we were going to discuss how to workout in quarantine? How can we motivate ourselves to go out of bed and stay active? How can we work out in quarantine despite the closed gyms? Short breaks to workout during a quarantine Doing exercise for a long period is hard for many people. Therefore they should consider doing exercises for short periods, many times a day. Doing an hour’s workout is an arduous task for those who are not used to it. But if you do 15 minutes workout four times a day, it does not seem that hard. Therefore breaking physical activity in sets make it easier to do. Resources to workout during the quarantine There is a tremendous amount of resources available out there on the internet. You can find videos on all levels ranging from beginner to advanced. Here are some exercises you can try out in your home: High knees High knees are an excellent exercise to get your heart rate up and it requires no equipment. To do this exercise, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your one knee as high as you can and then quickly switch to the other one before the first one lands. Continue doing the same steps at a fast rate as if you were running. Sit-ups Sit-ups greatly engage your abdominal muscles and help tone them. To do this exercise, lie flat on your back and bend your knees. Now put your hands behind your ears and raise your head and shoulders the ground. Lower yourself again to where you started and repeat the same steps. Push-ups Push-ups are great to build strength in your arms and chest. To do this exercise, start by lying flat on your stomach on the floor, feet aligned together. Place your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing downwards. Now try to raise yourself using your arms. Repeat the same process. If that’s hard for you, try shifting your weight to your knees instead of your feet or begin by doing push-ups against a wall and then doing the standard push-up. Jumping Jacks Jumping Jacks are great to increase your heart rate up and burn calories. To do these, start by standing upright, arms by your side and feet joined together. Now bend your knees and jump in the air. Stretch your arms over your head and spread your legs out while jumping. Return to the original position and repeat the same steps. Doing this exercise at a fast pace can burn a good amount of calories. Home-made Weights If you like lifting weights but don’t have dumbells available at your home, don’t worry. You can make your weights at home. Simply, use a left-over water bottle and fill it with water, sand, or stones and use it for weight training. If you need heavier weights, you can try using a bigger bottle like a 5 liter one. Conclusion There’s absolutely no reason not to workout during quarantine if the gyms are closed. As they say, when there is a will, there is away. You can keep yourself physically active even if you are staying at home. Do whatever you like and enjoy doing. If you like dancing, then dance. If you like weight-training then go for it. You can also modify your workouts according to your strength and the space available. Quarantine should not make you compromise on your fitness because after all, health is wealth. For more information, click here.
How Can Pregnant Women Stay Safe From The Global Infection? Pregnancy is such an important, joyful yet stressful period of a woman’s life. It brings you happiness, hope, and joy altogether. But at the same time, women feel stressed about how will this pregnancy go on? How will they cope with the physiological changes in their body? Since the coronavirus outbreak is creating so much panic, for pregnant women it is a continuous source of stress and anxiety. In this article, we are going to discuss pregnant women’s safety from the infection that has taken over the whole world. Can pregnant women pass coronavirus to their children? Experts do not know much about either pregnant mothers can pass coronavirus to their newborn or not. Some babies born to mothers suffering from coronavirus have been tested positive for coronavirus. The coronavirus does not occur in breast milk and amniotic fluid samples. Since there is a high chance that mothers suffering from coronavirus can infect their babies, the doctors separate the newborns from their mothers to protect them. How can pregnant women’s safety be enhanced? Pregnant women should take all the basic preventive measures to protect themselves. They should take the following measures to protect themselves from getting infected with coronavirus: Wash their hands frequently with soap and water. Also, they can use sanitizer for disinfecting their hands. Avoid traveling in public transport. Use a tissue paper when sneezing. Discard that tissue paper quickly. Avoid going out to public places and gatherings. Try to consult your doctor through telemedicine. Avoid unnecessary exposure to hospitals and clinics. Since they are also a hub of transmitting infections. Stay 2 meters away from people if you go out. What about pregnant women with heart disease? Pregnant women with congenital or acquired heart disease should stay in quarantine for at least 12 weeks. They should strictly avoid going out because they are at high risk of catching the infection. Since infections are lethal for both pregnant women and patients with heart diseases. People on risk should ask their friends or family members to bring necessary goods like groceries and medicines for them. Ask all family members to wash their hands when they come home back from outside. Also do not forget to disinfect high touch surfaces like doorknobs, switchboards and mobile phones, etc. Is pregnant women’s safety at high risk? There is no such evidence that pregnant women’s safety is at higher risk of catching the coronavirus infection. Experts believe that pregnant women will also face the same symptoms as other people of the same age group. According to current information, pregnant women will also face mild to moderate symptoms. Coronavirus symptoms include cough, fever, fatigue, shortness of breath and pneumonia. Can COVID-19 increase the risk of miscarriage? According to the center for disease control (CDC), coronavirus does not increase the risk of miscarriage or fetal complications. Another complication that can occur due to disease is preterm labor. However, there is not much data to comment on how the coronavirus poses harm to pregnant women’s safety. How can you keep your immune system strong? You should take your prescribed multivitamins daily. Also do not forget to take vitamin C as a supplement as well as in your diet. It boosts immunity and helps you to fight against infections. You should take a diet rich in antioxidants. Add plenty of fruits and green vegetables in your diet. Have a good sleep of the least 8 hours. Sleeping well keeps you healthy and strong. Drink plenty of water, keep yourself hydrated. What about the baby shower? The baby shower is a memorable and joyous event in one’s life. Since the Centre for disease control and prevention (CDC) has asked people to practice social distancing, you should cancel all the gatherings. Your health and your baby’s health are more important than anything. You should neither host nor attend any party or any gathering. Should you get a flu shot? Pregnant women should get a flu shot. It would not protect you against coronavirus, but it can help in lowering the flu symptoms. Make sure to consult your doctor first regarding that, because flu shot can sometimes cause complications for you and the baby. If you start having cold-like symptoms after a flu shot, do consult your doctor. Conclusion Pregnancy during coronavirus outbreak is so stressful. But you should make sure to think positive, stay calm and happy. Continuous stress and tension are not good for your health as well as your baby’s health. Try to concentrate on other tasks that keep you busy. Do things that relax you, lower your stress. Stay socially connected to your friends and family via cellphone. Stay isolated, stay protected. Don’t visit any hospital. In case you need any direct advice from doctors, take an online consultation through InstaCare Telemedicine App or visit here. For more information, visit contact us.
Telehealth in Pakistan Helped 6000+ Patients During Lockdown After the COVID-19 Outbreak in the country, the supply chain has become a major challenge for the public as well as the government. From food items to medicines, everything is becoming difficult to access due to lockdown. Meanwhile, InstaCare came forward with an initiative called InstaCare Corona Response Unit – ICRU to help people by making healthcare services accessible and efficient. The platform has made online doctor checkup possible at your home by the use of telehealth in Pakistan. InstaCare is also taking online medicine orders with free delivery across Pakistan. You can even request an online lab test booking with free home sampling services through the platform. For the people who are concerned about medical issues during the pandemic, you can avail of free telehealth in Pakistan. So now lets discuss what is ICRU. What is the InstaCare Corona Response Unit – ICRU InstaCare has been known for its amazing work and contribution to introduce the services of telehealth in Pakistan for past many years. When COVID-19 Strikes Pakistan, 12 team members at InstaCare volunteer themselves to help the country to make healthcare remain accessible even in the hard times. While the company was closely studying the global as well as local stats so it was very much obvious that Pakistan will have to embrace lockdown in order to save lives but Team InstaCare was planning how to deliver care at doorstep during such time. Response unit that was started with 12 members started spreading all over Pakistan when some amazing doctors, organizations and healthcare workers joined the unit. Doctors from all 4 provinces volunteer themselves for this great cause. Organizations such as Sehat Karwan, ElajZone , Khyber Medical University (KMU), Pathodont Clinics and Akram Medical Complex played a vital role to provide relief to the patients anytime anywhere with telemedicine. Akram Medical Complex and InstaCare Started Telemedicine to help patients during COVID-19 CEO, Akram Medical Complex, Dr. Shehla Javaid came forward as hope to thousands of patients when she decided to make AMC a telemedicine center during the pandemic to help patients. InstaCare supported the vision by offering its best telehealth system. Khyber Medical University (KMU) and Government of KPK Started Telemedicine in Pakistan in collaboration with InstaCare Khyber medical university, A leading medical institute in Peshawar formed a telemedicine center with 50+ doctors to offer free online doctor checkups in KPK. Governer KPK , Announced the news on his official twitter handler: More than 50 doctors will be available on telephone & internet from 9AM to 6PM. Helpline No’s for Patients: 03171777516 & 03179797297 or can use KMU website. https://t.co/sK9qNjcCCY 2/2#PakistanFightsCorona #StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/gh0C9RbpWp — Shah Farman (@ShahFarman_PTI) March 26, 2020 Shah Farman, KPK Governor Inaugurated the telemedicine center at KMU, Peshawar: ICRU 10 Days Progress In just 10 days after the announcement of ICRU Free Services, People started responding. The response was massive so InstaCare called more volunteer doctors and medical students. Today ICRU is a family of 300+ People serving the nation with their best capabilities, following stats explains the progress of our team’s 10 days efforts: How InstaCare telehealth services work: You can visit InstaCare.Pk, a web portal where patients can instantly get online medical consultation with telemedicine. You can call at helpline number 03171777516 to talk to doctors if you have any medical related queries. You can download the InstaCare App from Google Playstore to order medicines or lab tests. Subscribe Youtube Channel for Live Sessions with Doctors so you can share your concerns with doctors while staying at home. Follow Instagram and Facebook for live updates and useful content. Read the blog to make yourself more aware of the situation and how to take better care of yourself and your loved ones. Prof. Dr. Javed Akram, Vice-Chancellor University of Health Sciences Reviews about InstaCare Dr. Javed Akram is a known medical professional with years of experience and is always known for his research work and dedication to enable the digital healthcare ecosystem in Pakistan. He praised the efforts of InstaCare services in telehealth in Pakistan as: Media Praising about Telehealth in Pakistan
Regarding, the government’s response to coronavirus, on March 13, the first meeting of the National Security Council (NHC) took place. The Prime Minister of Pakistan chaired the NHC meeting which includes top military and civil leadership. The purpose of the meeting was to look at the alarming threat to the health system. So he asked the relevant persons to lay out a plan and likewise inform him on this matter. On the other hand, the first case of coronavirus registered on February 26th. The person visited Iran recently. His contacts traced and isolated quickly. In short, until March 12, the total number of cases was 21 in Pakistan. For live stats, visit here. But there is a need for a strict action plan. Imran Khan on his speech on March 17, asked,” While there is a need for caution but no need to panic (Ghabrana Nahi hai).” He said that we can not completely lock down the country. Because of doing this, daily wagers can die out of hunger instead of coronavirus. For instance, India completely locked down the country without taking the view of the people who are below the poverty line. But Pakistan has the largest number of cases in South Asia, far more than its neighbor, India. Before any registered case, Pakistan decided not to strand the 800 students in Wuhan, Chian returned to the country. 18th Amendment According to the 18th Amendment to the constitution of Pakistan, it gives semi-autonomous status to provinces to adopt a different course of action from the central government. As a result, we saw varying lockdowns intensity in Sindh, Pakistan’s largest province hit by Taftan visitors. The government kept the visitors in camps for 14 days and let them go after screening. After that, they were allowed to return back to their homes and villages. But a large number of people got positive in their reports when tested by local health care workers. However, health experts alleged that people were badly mishandled by authorities. This provides the place to call military aid “act in aid of civil powers” but not until formally invited. PM and President Steps The Prime Minister of Pakistan has approved an economic fund of 1 Trillion rupees for people to help them in crisis. Meanwhile, the President of Pakistan visited China to learn from them as they have declined the number of cases now. Beijing pledged to help Pakistan as they now dealt with reducing the number of cases. The team from China has also come to help out. Ministry of Health Services As a result of this pandemic, the Ministry of Health Service has laid out a plan which shows the intention go government to respond to this outbreak. Vision A national effort to respond to COIVD-19 emergency in Pakistan Minimal National Morbidity and Mortality Long term Developing a structure ensuring timely response and plan for all pandemics. Problems to Government Above all, the government is doing all its efforts to stop this pandemic. But people are not serious about taking precautions. They allow their kids to play on grounds. Upon closing the grounds, they go to the open area for playing. Their parents are unwilling to quarantine them to crowded homes. Pakistan is the world’s fifth populous country. Similarly, the clerical community is refusing to help the government. They have not stopped large gatherings and offering prayers. About 150,000 clerics from around the world helped spread the virus in a religious gathering. Pakistan’s cases have risen from 250, a few weeks before to 1098 after that. The officials canceled it but participants already scale, eating, sleeping and living in close quarters. Steps announced by Government Ten steps announced by the government to prevent this pandemic in Pakistan which are: National Coordination Committee for coronavirus (COVID-19) will make decisions on a daily basis. All educational institutions, both public and private, are closed till 31st May. Pakistan will completely seal its border with Afghanistan and Iran for travelers and trades. Katarpur will be closed for Pakistani but Indians pilgrims will keep visiting. Pakistan will departure international flights from Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad for effective screens travelers. The government put a ban on all public gatherings and conferences. To prevent coronavirus, no visiting allowed in prisoners. The government will reach to religious leaders to work out the modalities for effective management of religious services. The government will devise a plan to avoid food supply shortcomings. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will cooperate with the district and provincial for necessary implementations. A corona relief tiger force will be working with government and security agencies. The force will provide food to people if we forced to lockdown. In short, the government has taken many steps on its behalf to avoid the separation of the pandemic. It will be achieved by the mutual corporation of people and the government. Because if we forced to lockdown, many peoples will die out to hunger. It is only possible by the individual and collective efforts. We should not be a hurdle in the way of prevention. Instead, we should play our role in this. For instance, Instacre is providing free consultation for coronavirus.
How To Prevent Corona Virus Through Telemedicine? Telemedicine is providing health care when patients and physicians (doctors) are not physically present there. An advancement in telemedicine has given people the choice that whether to visit doctors physically or approach doctors virtually. While using telemedicine, doctors and patients can share screens and share information from one computer to another. In addition, it is useful for people living in rural areas to access physicians virtually who previously had difficulty in approaching them physically. Using telemedicine, patients can see a doctor for diagnoses and treatment of diseases. Patients can do all this in the comfort of their homes without waiting hours for an appointment. Types of Telemedicine There are three common types of telemedicine health care and it is not only limited to these methods. Interactive Medicine: The interactive Medicine method allows patients and doctors to communicate in real-time just. Store and Forward: The store and forward method include a 3rd party in the chain. The patients send their information to the provider of service. The providers share their information with the practitioner who is at his place. Remote Patient Monitoring: This method allows caretakers to monitor the patient’s blood pressure and sugar who resides at home by using mobile devices to keep the record. Difference between Telemedicine and Telehealth According to the World Health Organization (WHO), telemedicine is “healing from distance.” It is a practice through which a physician checks the patients with the help of technology. The doctors use digital imaging, video consultation, and remote medical diagnosis. The individuals do not need to visit the physicians in person for a check-up. The use of telemedicine methods makes possible for specialists to check the patients in remote areas. Unlikely, telehealth is the “use of information and telecommunication technology to provide health care service and public health administration remotely.” There is one distinct difference between which is that telehealth cover non-clinical processes as well as meetings, conferences, physician’s training, and continuing medical education (CME). It is not a specific service like telemedicine. It is a collection of services to improve patient care, health management, and administration. Benefits of Telemedicine A patient does not require to physically visit a doctor. Saves time and travel costs. Less time away from work. Privacy. No danger to expose any contagious diseases. Less interference of the child and eldercare responsibilities. The distance and time differences can limit access to care. Fortunately, Telemedicine overcomes the demographic differences, especially for specialized doctors. It can be used to serve the unserved communities and geographically rural areas. Telemedicine can improve the quality of health care in both physical and mental health problems. Easily diagnoseable diseases It is useful in psychotherapy and teledermatology. Other common health issues that can be addressed appropriately through telemedicine include: Coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnose Cold and FLu cough Diarrhea Bites Burns Sore Throat Fever Rashes Skin concerns Dental problems Using telehealth, patient and provider will be able to communicate virtually. This will help patients by reducing unnecessary office and hospital visits, lowering the risk of contacting COVID-19. Coronavirus gives telehealth a new horizon and many telehealth services are providing free telemedicine services. “COVID-19 is different because we do not know all the factors surrounding transmission and we do not know its effects on patients,” Jason Hallock (Chief Medical Officer for SOC Telemed)points out. “There have been a significant number of deaths, the uncertainty surrounding that is scaring both patients and the general public. Our healthcare workers do not have all the answers yet. Telemedicine can be useful to evaluate and reassure patients in alternative settings. It can be used to help patients decide who needs to be seen in the hospital or an alternative setting like urgent care.” Telemedicine is itself a tool to fight against coronavirus. It can be used to connect a doctor and patient via smartphones. It can be used to provide counseling in remote areas or areas with a higher number of patients. Dr. Stephen Parodi (an infectious disease specialist) said that it is critical to use telehealth services for managing this pandemic. He is one of the leaders in the use of virtual visits for its patients. In a short part of preventing the coronavirus, it is important to keep the sick people out of contact with other patients and doctors. Telemedicine is very useful in managing this crisis. For more info, contact us.
How Can Doctors Keep Going During Corona Outbreak Through Telemedicine In today’s time of coronavirus outbreak, which has now become a pandemic, there is a heavy workload on healthcare professionals. They are at great risk of catching the infection. In Italy, out of 67,814 reported cases of coronavirus, 6205 cases are of health care workers according to the 25th march report. These statistics show that even after the lock-down of the whole country, our health care professionals are at a huge risk of getting the coronavirus infection. This risk can be minimized if the patients consult the doctors via telemedicine. This would save them from getting the infection. In this article, we will talk about how the telemedicine applications are helping the doctors in this coronavirus outbreak and how can they cope with it? What Is Telemedicine? Telemedicine is becoming the first line of defense and the most useful tool for doctors nowadays. This helps them to consult with the patient over the phone or computer and let them prescribe the medicines as well. It is the platform where doctors can interact with their patients through a video-conference. Telemedicine helps the doctors to prescribe, diagnose, educate and monitor the patient remotely, with no physical interaction. Telemedicine lets the doctor ask relevant questions to the patient about the disease, they can discuss the signs, symptoms, and history through a virtual visit. If the patient’s health concerns the doctor, they first send them to get their chest x-ray and blood tests done. After that, they can rule out the final diagnosis. They can then make a further decision of either letting them stay at home or to get them admitted to the hospital. How Is Telemedicine Beneficial? If health care workers like the doctors and the nurses would get sick, there would be a rapid, unbearable impact that will affect everybody. Health care workers who keep working at hospitals while infected from coronavirus can transmit it to more people. If these workers go home to recover, they would eventually infect their family members. This would also put an immense load on their coworkers. If they are critically ill and need to get hospitalized, then there will be fewer resources available to treat the public. Eventually, if this keeps going on, we will have to face a shortage of doctors after this coronavirus pandemic. So to save the doctors it is necessary to shift on telemedicine. The hospitals can not manage the heavy volume of patients in this state of panic. They can manage it with the help of telemedicine applications. The telemedicine can protect the doctors because it will reduce their exposure to the patients. No physical contact would be there, by which there would be no chance of catching the infection. Hospitals’ waiting areas are already busy and so overloaded with people that anyone can catch an infection. The doctors are also at high risk when examining the patient suffering from COVID-19. Remote consultation by the doctor, therefore, reduces the risk of getting exposure and infection. Telemedicine applications like InstaCare help in keeping the patient and the doctor isolated. How Does Telemedicine Works? The telemedicine works by assessing the person remotely who is facing the symptoms of coronavirus and monitoring their progress. If deteriorated, the doctors advise them to shift to the hospitals. This technique helps in only shifting the patients who are having any complications. This also decreases the high volume of patients coming to the hospital’s emergency. The doctors and nurses also feel less stressed and can cope easily with the situation. Drawbacks It can be a solution for many, specially coronavirus, a highly contagious disease. But doctors need to examine the patient properly. Telemedicine can only help when the patient can tell the symptoms bothering them. They can discuss those symptoms with the doctors to have an expert opinion. The doctors can then make a further decision about what to do next. The doctors can replace some of their patients to telemedicine who are not critically ill. Still, they have to work day in and day out at the intensive care units and emergencies of the hospital where they can oversee the critically ill patients.
Everything I need to know about Coronavirus COVID-19 before it gets me It’s March 2020, and within a few months, Coronavirus has made the lockdown of the whole country inevitable. Furthermore, the panic created among the masses is on top of that. But as they say, knowledge is power, you can better prevent yourself from the virus by learning more about it. So here is each and everything you need to know about novel Coronavirus aka COVID-19. WHAT IS COVID-19? The coronavirus belongs to the family of viruses that infects human beings and animals. The specific type of Coronavirus that the world is facing right now is SARS-Cov-2. The disease it causes is known as COVID-19. Since it’s a newly found virus, there has been very fewer studies on it. Hence we don’t know what actually happens when it enters the human body. But apart from that, we are aware of symptoms of COVID-19. One more thing we know about the virus is its highly contagious nature. The virus can cause mild to severe illness; which in worst cases, can turn into death. IS CORONAVIRUS A PANDEMIC? Globally 2,46,295 confirmed cases have been reported of coronavirus. Out of which 81,139 are from China, 35,713 from Italy, 17,361 from Iran, 14,769 from Spain and rest of them are from other countries like the United States, France, United Kingdom and many others. Total reported deaths from coronavirus until today are 1,018. Considering that situation, WHO (World Health Organization) has announced Coronavirus to be a pandemic. WHEN AND WHERE DID THE CORONAVIRUS EMERGE? COVID-19 is a new strain that has emerged from Wuhan, the city of China, in December 2019. It has now spread to different countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Iran, Pakistan and many others. There is no cure discovered for this disease yet. The patients are treated symptomatically. The Chinese centre for disease control has revealed that 80% of the suffering people faced mild symptoms, 15% of them faced severe symptoms, while 5% of the patients were critically ill due to the coronavirus. WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS? The signs and symptoms of novel coronavirus resemble the symptoms of common cold, flu and pneumonia. It causes fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue and shortness of breath. People with weak immunity may also suffer from nausea and diarrhoea. The emergency symptoms of coronavirus are; severe difficulty in breathing, confusion, bluish lips or face and persistent pain in the chest. At this stage, you should rush to the hospital emergency. HOW DOES CORONAVIRUS SPREADS? The coronavirus spreads from person to person through airborne droplets. If an infected person, coughs and sneezes in a close environment in front of others, the other people will eventually catch the infection. The virus can also transmit through high touch surfaces. If an infected person is carrying viruses on his hand and touches the surface, he will transmit the virus on the surface. If a healthy person touches that surface again, he can catch the virus easily. HOW CAN I PROTECT MYSELF FROM CORONA VIRUS? You can protect yourself from coronavirus by wearing a mask if you are coughing or sneezing. Wash your hands frequently and sanitize them with an alcohol-based sanitizer. Do not touch your face, nose and eyes with unwashed hands. Keep disinfecting the high touch surfaces like switchboards, doorknobs, fridge doors and keys etc. Avoid going to overcrowd places and maintain a distance of 1 foot from the one who is coughing or sneezing. Cook the meat and eggs at high temperature. Wash the fruits and vegetable properly before use. Try to isolate yourself at home as much as you can. Avoid going out for unnecessary tasks and also avoid international travelling.. WHY IS WASHING HANDS NECESSARY? Washing hands frequently is necessary because there is a fair chance of carrying the virus in your hand which you have caught by touching any surface. The coronavirus resides on the surfaces for a long duration, if you will touch the surface where viruses are present you can easily get infected. WHEN WILL I HAVE THE SYMPTOMS AFTER EXPOSURE? The incubation period for coronavirus may vary between 2 to 14 days. Within this period, the person will not show any symptoms. You will have the symptoms after 14 days of exposure. There is a chance of transmitting the virus to others in this phase as well. WHO IS AT RISK? The older adults, immunocompromised people and the ones with comorbidities like heart diseases, kidney diseases, diabetes and lung diseases are at higher risk of getting worse symptoms of coronavirus. DOES EVERYONE WITH SYMPTOMS NEEDS TO GET TESTED? No! Not everyone having flu symptoms needs to get tested for COVID-19. If you are suffering from cough, fever and sore throat, try to isolate yourself at home. Avoid exposure to other people, so that you do not transmit your infection to others. You should only go for a test if you are having severe symptoms like shortness of breath, high-grade fever, and severe fatigue. Not everyone with flu-like symptoms can be tested for coronavirus because it is not possible to test such a large number of people. WHAT SHOULD I TAKE AS TREATMENT? You should only take paracetamol if you are facing any of the coronavirus symptoms. Do not take anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen, naproxen, and cortisone. They have shown adverse effects on the people suffering from coronavirus. Further, if you are uncertain about your health, connect with a professional doctor through Instacare Corona Response Unit for Corona consultation. Through this service, you’ll be able to get an expert opinion, remotely, safely, instantly. WHAT IF I HAVE A TRAVEL HISTORY? If you have a travel history in the past 14 days, you should self isolate yourself. You can transmit the virus to others, even if you have no symptoms. After 14 days it can be confirmed either you are infected or not. HOW IS TEST DONE FOR CORONAVIRUS CONFIRMATION? The confirmation test for coronavirus
The Covid-19 pandemic is spreading globally and numbers are increasing exponentially. So far, 182,605 cases have been reported. 7,171 people have died and 79,881 people have recovered. The spread of coronavirus is increasing with every passing day taking the tally to a total of 184 cases. People coming from Tahtan are considered to be the major source of the pandemic but can we fight coronavirus with telemedicine in Pakistan? Right now, The entire nation is in a state of panic and fear. People are worried about kids and their elders since these age groups are at the highest risk. The government of Pakistan is calling help from local telemedicine companies in Pakistan to join them in fighting against this deadly virus. Meanwhile, In this hour of need, InstaCare an award-winning telemedicine company striving to make healthcare accessible, reliable and efficient since 2016. Its telemedicine based solutions are already connecting doctors with patients not just locally but internationally too. For many doctors, the platform has remained a major source of getting patients from beyond the borders and different cities. In these crucial hours, InstaCare is standing firmly with the people of Pakistan and its government. The company has launched online Coronavirus Clinics aka “Coronavirus Response Units”. These clinics have enabled patients in Pakistan to access care without having to travel, thereby reducing the risks of exposure and spread. With these clinics a patient can talk to a doctor and doctor can analyze the symptoms and the case from anywhere. Coronavirus can harm you from a distance of a few meters, therefore, the safety of both patients, as well as, the doctor is critically important. Telemedicine seems a hope in this pandemic. If you are looking to avail of this service just visit our website or download InstaCare App from google play store.
