“Even when there is a doctor”- A healthy head start for tiny tots!!

DR.Rajesh Chokhani ,Dr Anjali Tendulkar & Sachin Tendulkar, Dr. Yashwant Amdekar, and Krishnan Sivaramakrishnan

Legend Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar & Dr Anjali Tendulkar releases book on child health care named “Even when there is a doctor”- Written by Dr. Yashwant Amdekar along with Dr Rajesh Chokhani and Krishnan Sivaramakrishnan at MIG club, Bandra. The book is about a role of an individual or parents in child health care. It

emphasises that parents must promote good health in their children empowered with adequate information. In effect, parents must partner with doctors to maintain sound health of their children. They need guidance to maintain their children’s health and also act appropriately during illness.

Now-a-day’s kids are less healthy than their parents were when they were young. Researchers from the WHO (World Health Organization) suggest that 8 out of 10 children globally may be either malnourished or overweight — only the remainder 2 may have normal weight. Earlier lifestyle was more conducive to health: children ate homemade food, played outdoors, and were more active.

Today’s lifestyle, with all its conveniences, is more sedentary. Medical practice too has changed. Before medical care was about simple medication, managing disease with minimal medicine, good food, rest and hygiene. Today medical care is about many investigations, strong medicine and fast results. Earlier, left to its own, the normal was good health. Now, left to its own, the normal is obesity, lifestyle disease, and drug-resistant illness.

This book is divided in two sections – first section deals with maintenance of health and second with restoration of health. Health has five components – physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual and is maintained through balanced nutrition, ideal physical exercise, adequate sleep, proper hygiene and socially accepted behaviour. This is possible only if right habits are inculcated at right time in early life.

Dr Y K Amdekar, Senior Paediatrician & Medical Director of Wadia Hospital Author says, “Parents and doctors will have to work together to make a positive change. The case is strong for every mother or father to learn how to preserve health so that children don’t fall sick, and if they do how to take care of their minor illnesses. And it is also important for doctors to empower parents with that knowledge.”

“The book reminds us that proper care during the first 1000 days of life is crucial for subsequent good health. And since the seeds of many adult diseases are sown in early life, it is vital that children get a healthy headstart.” says Dr Amdekar.

Dr Rajesh Chokhani, Senior Paediatrician and Co-Author says“This book aims at empowering parents to achieve good health in children through ideal parenting and also partner with doctors to restore health during inevitable illnesses. When their children’s health is disturbed, most of them feel their duty ends by putting across their problems to the doctor. The doctors, on their part, are apparently busy treating sick children and therefore, have little time to give advice to promote health. Unfortunately, then, most doctors become disease managers, not health providers.”

Krishnan Sivaramakrishnan, Co-Author, says “The book aims to give parents guiding principles to answer their most common queries and doubts on such issues. It empowers every mother or father to give safe first aid for children’s minor illnesses in their own homes. In clear and simple language it teaches them to distinguish between illness they can take care of in their homes and illness that demands a visit to a doctor.