Health Tips
Small changes that are genuinely worth making, explained without diet-industry jargon or guilt.
Antibiotic Syrups and the Fridge
Sealed antibiotic powder keeps at room temperature. Once the pharmacist adds water, most antibiotic syrups must go in the fridge and are thrown away after the number of days printed on the carton — not on the expiry date.
Building a Balanced Plate with Indian Meals
A balanced meal is roughly half vegetables, a quarter protein such as dal or egg, and a quarter grain — you can build it from everyday Indian food without buying anything special.
Common Painkillers and What They Can Do
Paracetamol is gentle on the stomach but harms the liver above its daily limit. Ibuprofen, diclofenac and aceclofenac can cause stomach bleeding and strain the kidneys, especially in older people.
Cutting Down Salt Without Losing Taste
Most of the salt we eat is hidden in packaged and restaurant food, not in the salt shaker. Keeping salt under about one teaspoon a day meaningfully lowers blood pressure.
Handwashing: Small Habit, Large Effect
Washing hands with soap and water at the right moments prevents a large share of diarrhoeal and respiratory infections, particularly in children.
How to Use an Inhaler Properly
Most people whose inhaler seems not to work are using it wrongly, and the medicine lands in the mouth instead of the lungs. A spacer fixes most of the problem by itself.
Medicines That Should Not Be Taken Together
The commonest clash in Indian homes is taking two products that both contain paracetamol. The next is adding a painkiller on top of blood pressure tablets or a blood thinner.
Simple Strength Exercises You Can Do at Home
Two short strength sessions a week protect your muscles, bones and back as you age. You need no gym and no equipment to start.
Sitting Less at a Desk Job
Long unbroken sitting affects your health independently of whether you exercise. Breaking it up every half hour matters more than any particular chair.
Sleeping Better Without Medicine
Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep. A consistent wake-up time, morning light and a screen-free wind-down help more than any supplement.
Taking Medicine While Fasting
If a doctor has prescribed a medicine, keep taking it during a fast. Skipping blood pressure, thyroid, epilepsy or heart medicine for a day carries a real risk, and no fast is meant to put you in danger.
Walking: The Simplest Exercise That Works
About 30 minutes of brisk walking on most days meets the basic activity recommendation for adults, and it needs no equipment, gym or special skill.
What OD, BD, TDS and HS Mean on a Prescription
OD means once a day, BD twice a day, TDS or TID three times a day, QID four times. PC means after food, AC before food, HS at bedtime, and SOS only when you need it.
What to Do With Expired and Leftover Medicines
Do not flush them and do not drop loose tablets into an open bin. Most Indian cities now collect expired medicine as domestic hazardous waste, kept separate from wet and dry waste.
Where to Store Medicines at Home
Cool, dry, dark and out of reach of children. The bathroom cabinet and the shelf above the stove are the two worst places in most Indian homes, because heat and damp are what spoil medicines.
Which Health Checks You Need, and When
A few simple checks — blood pressure, blood sugar, haemoglobin and weight — catch the most common serious conditions in India long before they cause symptoms.
Why You Should Finish the Whole Antibiotic Course
Feeling better means the weakest bacteria have died first. Stopping there leaves the toughest ones alive — and those are the ones that bring the illness back and that the same medicine may no longer kill.
You Missed a Dose — What to Do
Take it as soon as you remember. If the next dose is nearly due, skip the missed one and carry on as normal. Never take two together to make up for it.