Category: 8. Health

From drinking cinnamon water in the morning to drinking coffee after a protein-rich breakfast, here are a few ways to shed the extra kilos faster.

Erica, a fat loss coach, underwent an incredible transformation, losing 8 kilos in just four months. She regularly shares her journey on Instagram, offering practical diet tips, workout guidance, and lifestyle advice. From what to eat and when to eat, to habits to adopt and those to avoid, Erica provides her followers with everything they need to stay motivated and achieve their own fitness goals. Also read | Health coach shares 3 missing pieces of weight loss in 40s: It’s not just about ‘eating more protein and walking’

On July 3, Erica shared an Instagram post explaining the morning habits that can shed the extra kilos faster. “5 things to do immediately after waking up that will help you drop belly fat faster,” Erica wrote.

1. Start with cinnamon water:

Drinking cinnamon water helps regulate blood sugar by improving insulin sensitivity. 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 cup warm water.

2. Know your breakfast

Incorporate a GLP-1 boosting breakfast like chia seeds and Greek yogurt to control hunger and insulin. Also read | Woman who dropped 40 kilos shares 5 ways to cut 500 calories: ‘Stop finishing what’s left on the plate’

3. Avoid sugar and refined carbs

Avoid high-insulin foods (like sugar or refined carbs) to stay in fat-burning mode longer.

4. Drink coffee

Drink coffee after your 30g of protein breakfast to stabilise cortisol and enhance thermogenesis.

5. Get some sun

Get sunlight and a 10-min walk to reset circadian rhythm and improve fat-burning hormones.

Weight loss tips that actually work

In an earlier interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Jaison Paul Sharma, MBBS, MD (Internal Medicine) – consultant diabetologist at Sharma Hospital in Garhdiwala shared a few tips on weight loss.

• “Focus on whole, unprocessed, fibre-rich foods while reducing intake of ultra-processed carbohydrates and sugary beverages.” the doctor said.
• Sleep is the underrated medicine that can fast track your weight loss journey. “Sleep is another powerful metabolic lever; poor sleep raises ghrelin and cortisol levels, promoting fat gain. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep per night,” he added. Also read | Woman who dropped 7 kilos shares 7 weight loss truths that ‘no one else will tell you’: ‘Eat more animal protein’
• “Address emotional eating through tools such as journaling, mindfulness, or therapy,” Dr Jaison Paul Sharma emphasised.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!.

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!.

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.

News / Lifestyle / Health / Fat loss coach shares 5 things to do after waking up that can melt body fat faster: Drink coffee after breakfast

See Less

Please chooseI’m not a medical professional.Allergy and ImmunologyAnatomyAnesthesiologyBiostatisticsCardiac/Thoracic/Vascular SurgeryCardiologyCritical CareDentistryDermatologyDiabetes and EndocrinologyEmergency MedicineEpidemiology and Public HealthFamily MedicineForensic MedicineGastroenterologyGeneral PracticeGeneticsGeriatricsHealth PolicyHematologyHIV/AIDSHospital-based MedicineI’m not a medical professional.Infectious DiseaseIntegrative/Complementary MedicineInternal MedicineInternal Medicine-PediatricsMedical Education and SimulationMedical PhysicsMedical StudentNephrologyNeurological SurgeryNeurologyNuclear MedicineNutritionObstetrics and GynecologyOccupational HealthOncologyOphthalmologyOptometryOral MedicineOrthopaedicsOsteopathic MedicineOtolaryngologyPain ManagementPalliative CarePathologyPediatricsPediatric SurgeryPharmacologyPhysical Medicine and RehabilitationPlastic SurgeryPodiatryPreventive MedicinePsychiatryPsychologyPulmonologyRadiation OncologyRadiologyRheumatologySubstance Use and AddictionSurgeryTherapeuticsTraumaUrologyMiscellaneous

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan has reported another polio case from Khyber Pakht­unkhwa (KP), raising the total number of cases for the ongoing year to 18.

According to an official from the Regional Refer­ence Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), a new case has been confirmed from Tank district of KP.

“A 10-month-old boy from Union Council Mullazai in District Tank has been confirmed as the 11th polio case from the province this year, bringing the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 to 18,” he said.

“The continued detection of polio cases underscores the persistent threat to children, particularly in areas with low vaccine acceptance. It is crucial for communities to understand that poliovirus can re-emerge wherever immunity gaps persist. Every unvaccinated child rem­ains vulnerable and can also contribute to the spread of the virus,” he said.

Out of the 18 cases, 11 have been reported from KP, five from Sindh and one each has been reported from Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2025

Please chooseI’m not a medical professional.Allergy and ImmunologyAnatomyAnesthesiologyBiostatisticsCardiac/Thoracic/Vascular SurgeryCardiologyCritical CareDentistryDermatologyDiabetes and EndocrinologyEmergency MedicineEpidemiology and Public HealthFamily MedicineForensic MedicineGastroenterologyGeneral PracticeGeneticsGeriatricsHealth PolicyHematologyHIV/AIDSHospital-based MedicineI’m not a medical professional.Infectious DiseaseIntegrative/Complementary MedicineInternal MedicineInternal Medicine-PediatricsMedical Education and SimulationMedical PhysicsMedical StudentNephrologyNeurological SurgeryNeurologyNuclear MedicineNutritionObstetrics and GynecologyOccupational HealthOncologyOphthalmologyOptometryOral MedicineOrthopaedicsOsteopathic MedicineOtolaryngologyPain ManagementPalliative CarePathologyPediatricsPediatric SurgeryPharmacologyPhysical Medicine and RehabilitationPlastic SurgeryPodiatryPreventive MedicinePsychiatryPsychologyPulmonologyRadiation OncologyRadiologyRheumatologySubstance Use and AddictionSurgeryTherapeuticsTraumaUrologyMiscellaneous

When Huang Yu needed to lose weight urgently for medical reasons, she turned to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). With it, she lost five kilograms (11 pounds) over three months, and she has kept it off since.

In January 2024, the 21-year-old from Shanghai, who is studying at a university in Hong Kong, learned she had a tumour on her uterus. This slowed her metabolism, and she eventually tipped the scales at 75kg.

If she did not lose weight, her Western doctor told her, the condition would be difficult to treat. He prescribed medication with hormones that helped boost her metabolism, but it left her feeling weak as she started having heavier menstrual periods.

“I had to spare no effort trying different weight-loss methods,” Huang said.

The off-label use of 0.01% atropine drops is a safe and noninvasive way to treat symptomatic vitreous floaters, according to a study done by Mohsin H. Ali, M.D., who presented his findings today at the 43^rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Retina Specialists.

Floaters are small spots or lines that float across the field of vision caused by the clumping of vitreous strands, the shadows of which cast a shadow on the retina. They are classified as symptomatic vitreous floaters when symptoms become so severe a patient seeks treatment. Existing treatments include pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), in which a surgeon removes the vitreous gel and replaces it with saline, and YAG laser vitreolysis, which uses a laser to dissolve floaters. However, these measures can lead to potential vision complications.

In Ali’s study, 44 patients with an average age of 60 were instructed to take 0.01% atropine drops. Patients were given a National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) before and after using the drops for one week.

Half (22) of the patients completed at least 7 days of consecutive use and returned questionnaires. Of those, 13 out of 22 (59%) were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the drops and said they would continue use and half said they would continue use.

Overall, 13 out of 44 (30%) were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the drops and said they would continue use and 11/44 (25%) just said they would continue use.

“The efficacy is low, but despite this, I think it is a good therapeutic option to have in your pocket, given that the other options carry the risk of vision-threatening complications,” Ali said during his presentation.

Different iris colors, phakic status or PVD status did not seem to meaningfully affect satisfaction rates.

Adverse events included worsened near vision (18%), worsened distance vision (18%) and light sensitivity (18%).

Ali personally prescribes this treatment for patients for long-term use or as needed, but not for patients with acute posterior vitreous detachment.

During the Q&A portion of the session, audience member Wei-Chi Wu, MD, PhD, professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology at Chang Gung University, asked Ali whether he considered using higher amounts of atropine to treat patients. Wu pointed out that patients may not be getting the full benefit of just a 0.01% dose.

“In my anecdotal experience, I’ve had other patients come back and say, ‘I refuse to use this drop any further because of the light sensitivity that it caused,’” Ali said. “In adults with various other pathologies and different colored irises, you might find that there is still pupillary dilation even at this low dose.”

Ali continued by saying that while they did not measure pupil size before and after drop administration, some individuals did send iPhone pictures that showed “significant pupil dilation.”

Ron Adelman, M.D., Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, asked about the mechanism of action of low-dose atropine.

Ali replied that while he doesn’t fully understand the mechanism of action, it seems to have to do with pupillary dilation.

“A lot of you probably have anecdotal experience when patients come to you in the office with a chief complaint of floaters, and then when they are dilated, they look around the room and say, ‘I don’t really notice my floaters.’ Part of that may be because you are talking to them when they have had a full pupillary dilation.”

In order to address the steep learning curve with abbreviated breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Emily Conant, M.D., emphasized during a new Diagnostic Imaging podcast the importance of radiologists working with technologists to bolster efficiency.

“MR can be a very profitable and very obviously important study but … it’s a team approach on how to do this efficiently. Get the IVs done by a whole other group outside of the room, not the technologists who are finishing scanning a prior patient. Make sure the patient understands the positioning and the need to be still, etc. Explain it all to her and be prompt in terms of getting her off the table when the (imaging) reconstructions are done,” advised Dr. Conant, a professor emeritus with the Department of Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

“Have a team working on this. That is so important in an MR suite, particularly right now. I know we’re backlogged, as I said, from post-COVID resurgence (of imaging volume), and we want to be efficient.”

Stamatia Destounis, M.D., emphasized the importance of more research on abbreviated breast MRI to elucidate and standardize the protocol, which would facilitate improved clarity with reimbursement.

“I think it’s really hard to understand where to go from here because we have such a variability within our global community on (abbreviated breast MRI),” added Dr. Destounis, the managing partner of Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, N.Y., and the chair of the American College of Radiology’s Breast Imaging Commission

A driving focus of future research should be continuing to determine what patient populations will receive the most benefit from abbreviated breast MRI, according to Habib Rahbar, M.D. He noted during the podcast that improved imaging biomarkers may bolster risk stratification and suggested that artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially improve efficiency with abbreviated breast MRI.

“We’re really at the precipice of getting to much more individualized, personalized screening and making sure we’re applying the right technologies to the right women and decreasing not just mortality, but the morbidity associated with more aggressive treatments. There’s so much going on in breast cancer care, and it’s really exciting for imaging to be a big part of it,” added Dr. Rahbar, a professor and executive vice chair of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “The Reading Room Podcast: Current and Emerging Insights on Abbreviated Breast MRI, Part 1,” “The Reading Room Podcast: Current and Emerging Insights on Abbreviated Breast MRI, Part 2” and “Abbreviated MRI and Contrast-Enhanced Mammography Provide Fourfold Higher Cancer Detection than Breast Ultrasound.”)

For more insights from Dr. Destounis, Dr. Conant and Dr. Rahbar, listen below or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

As the global population ages, the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease continues to rise, prompting increased interest in lifestyle approaches that can help protect brain health. One promising strategy is the MIND diet. Now after hearing the term MIND diet, you might be wondering if it is something related to a mindful diet followed for better health. Yes, to some extent you guessed it correctly. However, what MIND diet really means and which food should we consume to lower the risk of dementia, let’s understand. The MIND diet is a brain-boosting eating plan designed to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Combining elements from the Mediterranean and DASH diets, the MIND diet emphasizes foods known for their neuroprotective properties, offering a practical way to nourish the brain and support cognitive longevity. The MIND diet stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. The term DASH here stands for- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The MIND diet is developed by researchers to specifically target brain health; it takes the heart-healthy components of the Mediterranean diet and the blood pressure-lowering aspects of the DASH diet and adapts them to focus on foods that scientific evidence suggests may slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.The core idea behind the MIND diet is to maximize the intake of foods rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, vitamins, and minerals that protect brain cells from damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation—two major pathways involved in dementia development. Key food intake that can lower risk of dementia in MIND diet includes-

1. Green leafy vegetables and other vegetables

Veggies channel out growth signs and health benefits. Include green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens, and broccoli in your meals frequently—aiming for six or more servings per week. These vegetables contain carotenoids and folate, which support brain function and reduce dementia risk. Next time, you go to buy veggies, don’t forget to pay for the leafy ones. Besides leafy greens, eating a variety of non-starchy vegetables daily adds essential nutrients and fibre that support brain health

2. Berries

The MIND diet encourages at least two servings of berries per week. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are packed with antioxidants called flavonoids. These compounds help fight oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, potentially slowing cognitive decline. So, remember, berries in your diet could make you memorize things for a long time.

3. Nuts and whole grains

Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and their kin offer more than crunch. These nutrient-dense morsels are rich in vitamin E, a defender of brain cell walls, and polyphenols, which may help fend off mental decline. Combine the daily intake of nuts with whole grains. When you opt for oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat bread, the complex carbs in whole grains help you stabilize blood sugar and supply vitamin B in your body which is important for cognitive function. So, aim for three servings daily.

4. Fish and lean poultry

The omega-3s in salmon, sardines, trout, and mackerel act as brain “builders,” constructing flexible cell membranes that are resistant to damage. Just one serving a week is linked with sharper memory and slower mental decline. Remember, even intake of chicken and turkey prove to be beneficial as they are lean protein sources that fit the MIND formula perfectly. Two servings a week offer essential amino acids without the burden of saturated fat found in red meats.

5. Olive oil

Food cooked in olive oil is nutritious. More than a salad dressing—olive oil is the MIND diet’s default source of fat, prized for its monounsaturated fats that can soothe inflammation and improve vessel health, both crucial for delivering nutrients to your brain.Each of these foods brings something special to the table inclusive of a mix of healthy fats, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals, all working in concert to protect your memory and overall brain function. Your kitchen holds the ingredients for a brighter, sharper future. With its colorful variety, satisfying flavors, and science-backed benefits, the MIND diet offers a simple, delicious way to maintain brain health and reduce the risk of dementia. Small changes, meal by meal, can nourish your mind for many years to come. So, start the intake from today inwards, because no day is better than today to begin with a good habit.

The European Commission (EC), the EU’s main executive body, has released the first version of the “European Quality Assurance Scheme for Breast Cancer Services.”

This strategic plan defines quality and safety requirements for breast cancer services that are designed to improve the quality of care offered to women. 

The scheme manual, which can be downloaded on the commission’s page, has two parts. These include information on the certification process and information on clinical and service requirements.

The EC said it is preparing the rollout and practical management of certification to the scheme, but it did not give a date. Breast cancer services that comply with the European requirements will be able to apply for certification, the EC added.