Medico Focus, NAVI MUMBAI (2026)

21/01/2016

9 Financial Decisions You Should Make Before You Turn 30

Turning 30, for many people, is a wakeup call. It’s the time when you typically enter a new phase of life- either you get married or have kids (or plan to have them).

In this article, We cover 9 important financial decisions you need to make before you turn 30.

#1: Understand the most powerful word in finance: Compounding

Consider the investment behavior of two friends, Sameer and Rajesh

Sameer starts investing Rs 10,000 every year at the age of 25 and stops at the age of 35, but does not withdraw

Rajesh starts investing Rs 10,000 every year at the age of 35 and continues till he’s 65 years old

Who do you think will have more money when they are both 65?
As crazy as it may sound, Sameer will have 2.5 times the amount Rajesh has (1.28 Crores vs 46.5 lakhs), even though Rajesh invested for 20 years more.

What happened in this case is that for Sameer, money started compounding early, and earned interest, which in turn generated further interest, and this goes on. This is the true power of compounding. (Click here to see the calculation sheet)

Expert Tip: Start investing today. Even if it’s just Rs 10,000 a year, it will compound to many times that amount by the time you retire.

#2: Buy a home or keep renting?

Most of us would like to have a place we call home. The question you have to ask yourself is, do you need to buy one or would you want to stay in a rented place?

Buying a home is more of an emotional purchase rather than a logical one for most people- especially if they are taking a home loan.

Understand the pros and cons of owning a home/living in a rented accommodation and make a decision. Your home buying/renting decision will have a huge impact on your future financial planning since it’s probably the biggest single ever investment you’d make in your lifetime.

If you are not sure about renting vs buying, use this interactive calculator to find out if buying home makes sense for you.

#3: Get insured

We have all, at some point of time, seen those LIC advertisements. It portrays the role LIC plays in helping with children’s marriage or education when the earning member of the family has passed away unexpectedly.

While we all wish it does not happen to us, life is highly unpredictable. Make sure that you get a life insurance – term insurance is most recommended. The earlier you get a life insurance, the lower the premiums and complications.

And don’t stop with just life insurance. With rising medical costs, you also need to get a medical insurance to cover your medical costs. Even if your employer gives you a medical cover, take one additional to cover you and your entire family.

Taking medical and life insurance also helps you save tax under Section 80D and Section 80C respectively.

Expert tip: Insurance is an expense and not an investment. Don’t fall for money back plans that typically give you much lower returns for your investments. When choosing life insurance, always opt for term insurance.

#4: Set aside an emergency fund

You should set aside 3-6 months of your monthly expenses (including any EMIs you might have) in a separate emergency fund. Make sure you do not withdraw from this fund unless it’s for emergencies.

And no, upgrading your hatchback to a sedan does not count as an emergency!

#5: Make the right career choice

Chances are, by the time you are 30, you would have switched a couple of jobs. If you are not yet settled in a job (not a company, but a line of work), you have to do some soul searching.

Find out what ticks with you and stick to it. Just because you might have read about someone starting up and claiming that you should be your own boss, doesn’t mean you can succeed at your own business.

Take calculated risks. Following your passion does not guarantee that it can help you pay the bills. In all likelihood, the moment you try to earn a living by following your passion, you’d probably starting liking it less.

Figure out what makes you happy and helps you pay the bills. Then stick to it and follow a routine investment plan to ensure you have enough savings to help you retire and do what you are most passionate about (even if it means you have to keep spending money on it).

#6: Invest in yourself

There are two ways to get more money.

One, be thrifty and save as much as possible. Two, increase your income.

The latter is better because there is only so much you can control when it comes to saving. There are too many external factors (rent increase, petrol prices shoot up and so on) due to which making money by controlling expenses become difficult.

Expert Tip: Increase your income by investing in yourself. Learn a new skill so that you get a promotion in your current job. Or maybe just spend money for a relaxing vacation to make you more efficient when you come back fresh.

#7: Plan for retirement

Unfortunately, most people are not prepared enough for retirement. Either they miscalculate the amount of money they require at the time of retirement, or start saving when it’s too late.

Don’t make the mistake of not having enough money and having to rely on your kids for your expenses.

Start planning for your retirement before you hit 30 (the earlier the better).

Not sure where to start? Here’s a handy retirement guide for you that helps you save 10 crore retirement corpus and also retire 7 years earlier than planned.

#8: Become debt free

If you are not debt free yet, you are not alone. With easy access to loans and EMI schemes, more Indians than ever are under debt.

Debt is something that you need to get rid of before you turn 30 – or at least take steps to minimize it.

The next time you get your bonus or hike in salary, instead of the latest feature-packed mobile on EMI, decide to pre-pay your loans and become debt free as soon as possible.

Expert tip: While becoming debt free is good, not all debt is bad debt. Debt taken for purposes of creating a long term high value asset (like starting a businesses or buying a reasonably priced home within your budget) is OK.

#9: Plan for your children’s education & marriage

Even if you don’t have children, it pays to make a financial plan. With the spiralling cost of education, it’s important that you start planning as early as possible.

Some kindergartens charge you more than a lakh for admission. A medical seat in a reputed private college can be more than 60 lakhs. An MBA from a good business school can easily cost you 13-15 lakhs (50 lakhs + if you want to do it from a reputed school outside of India). That’s how expensive good education has become.

Make sure you start a SIP for your child as early as possible so that by the time they want to want to get into a good college, lack of funding won’t hold them back.

You have heard of the big fat Indian weddings. When it comes to your children’s marriage, you want to celebrate it- and that’s OK. These are small things in life that are ones in a lifetime moments.

Make sure you set a separate target for your children’s marriage spending and work towards that goal. Since the cost of conducting a marriage is increasing at a very rapid rate, traditional saving accounts like bank FDs and RDs won’t work.

Expert recommendation: Start a SIP in equity mutual funds. One year before the event, move the total corpus to a debt fund for protection from volatility of equity market.

16/01/2016

A clinical trial of a new drug in France has left one person brain-dead and another five people in hospital, in serious condition.

14/01/2016

More Whales Wash Ashore in Thoothukudi, Experts Begin Investigation

The phenomenon of whales being washed ashore at Manapad in Thoothukudi continues as 11 more whales die on Wednesday. The count could increase according to the local fishermen.

Till Tuesday evening the death count remained at 45 and on Wednesday morning five more dead whales were washed ashore. As the day progressed the number of whales being washed ashore increased to 11.

Seeing the alarming increase of deaths officials rushed to the spot and sought help of more fishermen into the rescue service as they fear that the death count might increase.

The process of burial of the whales continues at the Manapad beach. Meanwhile, Marine life experts who are camped there have started the collecting genetic samples.

Murugan, Head of Marine Ecology and Conservation Department, VOC College, claimed that research scholars were sent to Manapad on Tuesday to assess the situation and the process of tissue collection would begin on Wednesday. Using the collected tissues the genetic samples can be subjected for genetic testing.

Through the tests their location can be found and based on the injuries the reason for washing ashore can be determined.

When asked about the preliminary inquiry he claimed that seeing the nature of the injuries it can be said that one of the whales which preys on squids would have been caught in a coral reef in the Gulf of Mannar and would have sent the distress signal.

The pilot whale would have followed the signal and the other whales would have followed the pilot.

13/01/2016

Science behind XY and XX chromosomes in human being.
A recent study has revealed the evolution of X chromosome and why it contains an unusual mixture of genes.

A recent study has revealed the evolution of X chromosome and why it contains an unusual mixture of genes.
In humans, males have XY chromosomes, females have XX but only one of these is active, meaning that both sexes only have one active copy of the X chromosome.
Scientists discovered in 2002 that the X chromosome is unusual because it contains very few of the most important genes needed for basic cell function, dubbed ‘housekeeping’ genes.
Now the team led by Professor Laurence Hurst have analysed the world’s largest compendium of data on gene activity (expression) and looked at how activity on the X chromosome compares with that on other chromosomes.
The team also identified which genes have moved from the X to the other chromosomes over evolutionary time and those that have gone the other way.

13/01/2016

More social bonds lower heart disease, cancer risks

In a first of its kind study, researchers have shown that there is a clear link between social relationships and certain key measures of health like obesity, inflammation, and high blood pressure. The less social relationships a person has the more these key measures get skewed, and this leads to long term health effects including heart disease, stroke and cancer.

There has been considerable research in the past two decades on the link between social life and health status but this study by scientists from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US, and Renmin University, Beijing establishes the link between measurable indicators. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Based on these findings, it should be as important to encourage adolescents and young adults to build broad social relationships and social skills for interacting with others as it is to eat healthy and be physically active," said Kathleen Mullan Harris, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Specifically, the team found that the sheer size of a person's social network was important for health in early and late adulthood. In adolescence, that is, social isolation increased risk of inflammation by the same amount as physical inactivity while social integration protected against abdominal obesity. In old age, social isolation was actually more harmful to health than diabetes on developing and controlling hypertension.

In middle adulthood, it wasn't the number of social connections that mattered, but what those connections provided in terms of social support or strain. "The relationship between health and the degree to which people are integrated in large social networks is strongest at the beginning and at the end of life, and not so important in middle adulthood, when the quality, not the quantity, of social relationships matters," Harris said.

Harris and her team drew on data from four nationally representative surveys of the US population that, together, covered the lifespan from adolescence to old age. They evaluated three dimensions of social relationships: social integration, social support and social strain. They then studied how individual's social relationships were associated with four markers shown to be key markers for mortality risk: blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index and circulating levels of C-reactive protein, which is a measure of systemic inflammation.

One of the four nationally representative surveys was part of The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, or Add Health, the largest, most comprehensive data researchers use to study how social relationships, behavior, environment and biology interact to shape health in adolescence and influence well-being throughout adulthood.

"We studied the interplay between social relationships, behavioural factors and physiological dysregulation that, over time, lead to chronic diseases of aging—cancer being a prominent example," Yang Claire Yang, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, CPC fellow and a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centre. "Our analysis makes it clear that doctors, clinicians, and other health workers should redouble their efforts to help the public understand how important strong social bonds are throughout the course of all of our lives."

12/01/2016

450-gm cotton removed from 3-yr-old's stomach

Three-yr-old suffered from an unusual psychiatric condition that made him consume these things; he's recuperating after 5-hr surgery at Civil.
A 3-year-old boy who had a rare disease was successfully operated upon by doctors at Civil Hospital. The boy who suffered from an unusual psychiatric condition -pica -consumed sofa sponge and cotton.Around 450 gm of cotton and sponge was removed from his stomach and intestines after the surgery.
The doctor who conducted the surgery said this was an unusual condition and so far he has heard of only one other case of a 35-year-old woman in Delhi.
Lucky (name changed), son of Ashwinbhai Patel (name changed), a private company worker and resident of Arbudanagar, Odhav, began complaining of stomach ache a few weeks ago. He used to vomit and found difficulty in passing stools, so he started avoiding food. This affected his parents who took him to a private doctor.
X-RAY REVEALED NON-EDIBLE SUBSTANCE IN TUMMY
Ashwinbhai said, "The private doctor recommended X-ray and sonography which revealed the presence of some non-edible substances in the stomach. The doctor asked us to visit Civil Hospital with the sonography test report." The boy's parents met Dr Rakesh Joshi, head of paediatric surgery ward at Civil.
Dr Joshi suggested the child will have to be operated upon. Accordingly, the surgery was conducted on Lucky on December 30. The operation lasted five hours.
Dr Joshi said, "CT scan of Lucky's abdomen showed intestinal obstruction. An emergency operation was carried out. We found balls of cotton threads in the small intestine.

11/01/2016

Long-term benefits of psychotherapy for gut disease

While doctors have known for some time that psychological therapy can reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome -- a gastrointestinal disorder -- in the short term, a new study has found that the benefits can extend up to one year after the completion of the therapy.

The beneficial effects of psychological therapy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) appear to last at least six to 12 months after the therapy has concluded, the study said.

"Our study is the first one that has looked at long-term effects," said senior author Lynn Walker, professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, US.

The study analysed the results of 41 clinical trials involving more than 2,200 patients from a number of different countries.

"We found that the moderate benefit that psychological therapies confer in the short term continue over the long term. This is significant because IBS is a chronic, intermittent condition for which there is no good medical treatment," Walker noted.

Characterised by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation, IBS is classified as a disorder of the "brain-gut axis."

Although no cure is known, there are treatments to relieve symptoms including dietary adjustments, medication and psychological interventions.

"Western medicine often conceptualizes the mind as separate from the body, but IBS is a perfect example of how the two are connected," first author Kelsey Laird, doctoral student at University, pointed out.

"Gastrointestinal symptoms can increase stress and anxiety, which can increase the severity of the symptoms. This is a vicious cycle that psychological treatment can help break," Laird explained.

The studies that the researchers analysed included a number of different types of psychological therapies, including cognitive therapies, relaxation and hypnosis.

The findings showed no significant difference in the effectiveness of different types of psychotherapy.

10/01/2016

`Breast cancer strikes Indians earlier'

Breast cancer affects Indian women earlier than their counterparts in the West, a study conducted by the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER) has revealed. Analysis of breast cancer cases and a comparison with data collected from the UK pointed to the fact that the average age at which the disease struck was 4445 years in India, while it was 5560 in Europe.

The revelation was significant, said experts who believed that rather than screening, awareness was needed to curb the cases in India.

Conducted at the IPGMER, in collaboration with the Royal Free Hospital, London, the study recommends a complete overhaul of the strategy to tack le breast cancer, "Indian solutions are needed for Indian problems," it says, adding that a number of cases could spiral out of control if the stress continues to be on screening as a preventive measure.

Diptendra Kumar Sarkar, professor and in-charge, breast cancer department, IPGMER, said, "Screening through mammography has failed in the UK where it was introduced in 1987.Every woman, once she turned 49, had to undergo a compulsory test every three years. But it has been seen that the screening hasn't been able to reduce the number of cases or curb the death rate."

He pointed out that in India, the mammography system can never work as the disease strikes at least 10-15 years earlier than in the West on an average and with younger women having dense breast tissues, the mammography x-rays can't always pe*****te and detect cancer. "Women below 40 can't rely on mammography to detect breast cancer. On the contrary , they might contract the disease through regular mammography ," Sarkar warned.

"What we need is early diagnosis that can happen only through awareness. We need to ensure that every woman does a selfscreening and consults a doctor immediately if she detects a ump in the breast," he suggested. In India, 75,000-1 lakh new breast cancer cases are detected every year. There is no reliable data for West Bengal.

The study also revealed that he reason behind the early onset of breast cancer in India was a sub-type, which was more common here than in the West. Basal and luminal are the two sub-types of the disease and while the former was frequent n India, the latter was prevalent n the West.

"Basal is a hormone-independent sub-type which can't be prevented by having children early or through breast-feeding.

It is a more virulent form of the disease that has a high mortality. Early detection is the only way," explained Sarkar. IPGMER has started DNA analysis of the basal sub-type and hopes to come up with significant findings. But till then, ear ly diagnosis would have no substitute, experts said.

Veteran oncologist Subir Ganguly said, "DNA analysis will be expensive, so awareness has to be stepped up. Breast cancer strikes early in our country and so we need to start make teenagers aware. They should be told about the risks and the ways to prevent it. We need to train youngsters to self-examine."

Oncologist Gautam Mukhopadhyay said breast cancer was among the most neglected forms of the disease. "A breast cancer lump is neither painful nor easily identifiable. So, by the time one seeks treatment, more than half the patients have reached stages three or four," he said.

09/01/2016

Money Can’t Buy You Self-Esteem (If You’re a Woman)

Confidence gap between men and women were smallest in the developing world

Male U.S. Commandos Don’t Want Women in Special Ops Jobs
Women Will Likely Be Paid Less Than Men for Next 118 Years, Says World Economic Forum
“Empowerment,” that overused catchphrase of modern feminism, is both a feeling and an economic concept. It’s commonly used to mean confidence or self-esteem, but it’s also financial opportunity and professional equality. It’s applied to shampoo ads and UN global poverty reports: anything from workout clothes to superheroes to educational policy can be “empowering.”

And yet new research shows that the two definitions of “empowerment” might not co-exist as neatly as you might expect. According to a new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the confidence gap between men and women is actually smallest in countries that rank low in gender equality. In other words, economic empowerment and emotional empowerment don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand.

Researchers compared survey results from almost a million internet users to compile the first cross-cultural study of age, gender, and self-esteem. The researchers found some major consistencies across different cultures: in every country they studied, men reported higher self-esteem than women, and self esteem generally improved with age. This has been widely documented— men tend to overestimate their IQ, while women tend to underestimate theirs, and both genders tend to think their sons are brighter than their daughters.

But these researchers also found something else: the self-esteem gap between men and women had no correlation with economic empowerment, and the countries where women’s self esteem approached men actually tended be in the developing world. “In all countries, men have a higher self-esteem than women do, but the gender gap varies,” explains Wiebke Bliedorn, an assistant professor at UC Davis and the author of the study. “There is a bigger gap in many developed Western countries than in developing countries.”

Women’s self-esteem only eclipsed men’s in two of the surveyed countries: Thailand and Turkey, respectively ranked #60 and #130 according to the World Economic Forum’s index of gender equality. Hong Kong, India, and Indonesia, all relatively low on the gender-equality totem pole, had some of the smallest confidence gaps. But in countries with high gender equality scores, like Sweden, Finland, and Norway, men remained significantly more confident than women at every age.

Bliedorn cautioned that the study didn’t examine the reasons behind the enduring confidence gap, so she didn’t want to speculate exactly what’s behind this confidence problem. But she noted that the “smallest gender differences were in Asian countries,” and that with gender equality comes changing expectations for women. “Women in Western cultures are more likely to compare themselves to men,” she says. “Whereas in Asian countries, women compare themselves to women.”

That explanation rings true, especially considering the fact that as women get more opportunities in developed countries, they rarely drop their traditional family responsibilities. That means they shoulder both burdens, which can set them up for unrealistic expectations and cripple their self-confidence.

In South American countries, the confidence gap got bigger as people got older, but that seems to be partly because of a sharp uptick in male self-esteem (which could be related to machismo culture.) In the United States and Canada, the gap between male and female self-esteem was wider than countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and China, but smaller than Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia

09/01/2016

Plant More Trees!!

08/01/2016

Use physically active lifestyle to fight obesity genes

In a recent study, researchers have found that people around the world can use a physically active lifestyle to reduce the effect of inherited obesity genes.
Researcher David Meyre and his team from the McMaster University have shown that a physically active lifestyle can substantially decrease the genetic effect of the major obesity gene FTO on body weight in a multiethnic population.
Meyre said this provides a message of hope for the people with obesity predisposing genes that they can do something about it.
His team looked at data from up to 17,400 people from six ethnic groups, who were recruited from 17 countries and followed for more than three years.
First author Hudson Reddon said that to strengthen the confidence in their results, they used both basic and precise measures of physical activity and compared the traditional body mass index to the recently developed body adiposity index.
They analysed the impact of 14 obesity predisposing genes and found that physical activity can blunt the genetic effect of FTO, the major contributor to common obesity, by up to 75 percent.

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