Nikhil Bangale

Abstract

More than two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies (MiNDs) globally, with nearly half living in India. The current risk of ‘hidden hunger’ is severe in India due to serious deficiency risks across an array of essential micronutrients. A nationwide advisory board meeting attended by more than 20 Indian health care professionals (HCPs) was conducted to determine their clinical viewpoint on MiND. An in-depth search of PubMed studies emphasizing various aspects of MiND relevant to the Indian scenario was performed and presented to eminent HCPs from across India who then shared their opinions and perspectives based on their clinical experiences associated with MiND. Keywords: Micronutrient Deficiency, Hidden Hunger, Immunostimulation, Immunoregulation

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Abstract

Headache is one of the most common, painful, and disabling conditions that affects people of all ages worldwide and can have a substantial impact on quality of life of those affected. Stress is one of their main aggravating factor for headache across geographies, more so in millennials and females. Headache disorders are most troublesome in the productive years of life with lost working days and reduced productivity. Majority of those with headache have primary headache disorder especially migraine, tension-type headache and medication-overuse headache. Without proper treatment, headaches can be severe and interfere with day-to-day activities and can also become chronic or recurring affecting the well-being of an individual and predispose them to other illnesses. Self-care with simple analgesics in managing primary headache disorders can help reduce frequency of attack and severity with positive effect on physical symptoms and functional capacity. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a safe analgesic with good gastrointestinal tolerance and is recommended as 1 line treatment option to reduce pain in various conditions including primary headache disorders. Caffeine, a common additive to analgesic drugs is known to increase the analgesic potency. The anti-nociception enhancing effect of caffeine when given with acetaminophen significantly improves efficacy over use of only paracetamol.   Keywords: Headache, Paracetamol, Acetaminophen, Caffeine, OTC

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