Ultra Processed Foods: A South Asian culinary perspective.

There is a vast multitude of foodstuffs available, and health care professionals find it challenging to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy offerings. Recent evidence suggests that ultra processed foods should be avoided, as they are associated with harmful effects on health. This communication defines and describes ultra-processed foods, using the internationally accepted NOVA classification. It uses South Asian examples to make the concept easy to understand for South Asian readers.

Functional Foods may be Dysfunctional: A South Asian Perspective.

This communication describes a few functional seeds and spices, commonly consumed in South Asia, which may impair the absorption of drugs that are used in diabetes and medical management. The aim of this article is to highlight the possibility of these foods having a 'dysfunctional', rather than functional effect on health. Physicians should include questions about the use of these spices in their history taking.

Sodium Literacy.

This communication describes the concept of sodium literacy as means of optimizing sodium intake and achieving better cardiovascular health. It also highlights the sources of sodium in South Asian cuisine which can be avoided or minimized.

Culinary Counselling in Chronic Care: The Pentad of Cs & Ps.

Diet and nutrition are an integral part of chronic metabolic disease management. Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) providers focus upon caloric and nutrient adequacy, but do not necessarily incorporate person-friendly recipes in their ambit. In this communication, we share a simple framework of culinary counseling. This supplements MNT, and enhances its value by encouraging adherence and persistence to prescribed therapy.

Insulin hesitancy: A language-based model.

Psychological insulin resistance is a well known entity. This communication proposes the term 'insulin hesitancy' to describe the hesitation that a person living with diabetes experiences, when advised to take insulin. It approaches hesitancy through a triage model, based upon the language used by the patient. By identifying the predominant adverb, "will not", "shall not", or "cannot" in the patient's speech, the diabetes care professional can assess the degree of insulin hesitancy, and tailor his or her conversation towards overcoming it.

A Practitioner's Toolkit for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Counselling.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a frequently occurring health issue, has a significant effect on the cosmetic, metabolic, psychosocial and fertility aspects of women. A multidisciplinary team approach based on the core pillars of screening, assessment and counselling to detect, prevent and treat physiological and psychological issues in PCOS is very essential. Women are treated medically, but the psychosocial part is often forsaken. Hence, counselling forms an integral part of PCOS management that enables enhanced clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Digital tools and PCOS support groups have built an opportunity for physicians to create awareness, help timely diagnosis and overcome PCOS symptoms. The absence of clear guidelines to tackle the often less discussed aspects of PCOS warrants the need for consensus on PCOS counselling. This review summarizes the biopsychosocial health, clinical assessment and treatment strategies of PCOS and associated co-morbidities. The review article will discuss the clinician's role in patient education with the special focus on counselling of females with PCOS regardless of age group.

Early Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnostic Strategies and Clinical Implications.

Preexisting diabetes mellitus (DM) should be ruled out early in pregnancy in those at risk. During screening, a significant proportion of women do not reach the threshold for overt DM but fulfill the criteria used for diagnosing conventional gestational DM (cGDM). There is no consensus on the management of pregnancies with intermediate levels of hyperglycemia thus diagnosed. We have used the term early gestational DM (eGDM) for this condition and reviewed the currently available literature. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), oral glucose tolerance test, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) are the commonly employed screening tools in early pregnancy. Observational studies suggest that early pregnancy FPG and Hba1c correlate with the risk of cGDM and adverse perinatal outcomes. However, specific cut-offs, including those proposed by the International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group, do not reliably predict the development of cGDM. Emerging data, though indicate that FPG ≥ 92 mg/dL (5.1 mmol/L), even in the absence of cGDM, signals the risk for perinatal complication. Elevated HbA1c, especially a level ≥ 5.9%, also correlates with the risk of cGDM and worsened outcome. HbA1c as a diagnostic test is however besieged with the usual caveats that occur in pregnancy. The studies that explored the effects of intervention present conflicting results, including a possibility of fetal malnutrition and small-for-date baby in the early treatment group. Diagnostic thresholds and glycemic targets in eGDM may differ, and large multicenter randomized controlled trials are necessary to define the appropriate strategy.

Clinical practice recommendations for the detection and management of hyperglycemia in pregnancy from South Asia, Africa and Mexico during COVID-19 pandemic.

The human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected overall healthcare delivery, including prenatal, antenatal and postnatal care. Hyperglycemia in pregnancy (HIP) is the most common medical condition encountered during pregnancy. There is little guidance for primary care physicians for providing delivery of optimal perinatal care while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women. This review aims to describe pragmatic modifications in the screening, detection and management of HIP during the COVID- 19 pandemic. In this review, articles published up to June 2021 were searched on multiple databases, including PubMed, Medline, EMBASE and ScienceDirect. Direct online searches were conducted to identify national and international guidelines. Search criteria included terms to extract articles describing HIP with and/or without COVID-19 between 1st March 2020 and 15th June 2021. Fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and random plasma glucose could be alternative screening strategies for gestational diabetes mellitus screening (at 24-28 weeks of gestation), instead of the traditional 2 h oral glucose tolerance test. The use of telemedicine for the management of HIP is recommended. Hospital visits should be scheduled to coincide with obstetric and ultrasound visits. COVID-19 infected pregnant women with HIP need enhanced maternal and fetal vigilance, optimal diabetes care and psychological support in addition to supportive measures. This article presents pragmatic options and approaches for primary care physicians, diabetes care providers and obstetricians for GDM screening, diagnosis and management during the pandemic, to be used in conjunction with routine antenatal care.

Barriers and bridges in menopause hormonal therapy.

In this communication, we attempt to simplify the barriers to menopause hormone therapy (MHT) by suggesting bridges over them. We also create an alliterative rubric to assist in clinical assessment of menopause and the rational prescription of menopausal hormonal therapy (MHT). This will ensure comprehensive management of menopause.

Pre-conception management.

This communication shares two frameworks which help conceptualize the vast spectrum of pre-conception care. A 3x3 rubric classifies pre-conception assessment and interventions into gynaeco-obstetric, biomedical and psychosocial. Yet another creative checklist uses the letters A through I to present 9 aspects of pre-conception management. The aim of this article is to simplify the vast field of pre-conception care for primary care physicians and other health care professionals.

Menopause distress: A person centered definition.

We propose the use of the term 'menopause distress,' and share a conceptual definition. Menopause distress is defined as an emotional response characterised by significant, persistent apprehension, discomfort or dejection, due to a perceived inability to cope with the biomedical and psychosocial demands and challenges of living with menopause. This review discusses menopause distress, its definition, etiology, clinical features, and management. It calls for differentiation of menopause distress from other psychiatric conditions such as major depressive disorders and anxiety neurosis.

The GlucoCoper - An Exploratory Study to Assess Coping Mechanisms of Women Diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes distress can be managed effectively by coping-skill training. To improve coping skills, one must begin by analysing current coping styles of an individual. The GlucoCoper has been developed as a brief, simple, easy-to-administer tool for assessing the coping mechanism of people with diabetes mellitus. The GlucoCoper includes six items rated on a graphic visual analogue scale. These include four items to assess positive coping skills (acceptance, optimism, planning and action) and two items to assess negative coping mechanisms (negativity and blame). The current single centre prospective study analysed the six-item GlucoCoper as a tool to identify coping skills in antenatal women with diabetes, and correlated them with level of diabetes distress. Greater duration of diabetes was related with lower optimism; while poor glycaemic control (high glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c]) was related with high negativity and low scores for planning. Highly educated subjects revealed greater negativity, while those from a rural background exhibited higher blame scores of =7.00 for negativity, =4.00 for planning, and =5.00 for action. These factors should prompt detailed evaluation and intervention. The findings of the current study suggest that GlucoCoper can be used as a screening tool for dysfunctional coping skills in pregnancy complicated by diabetes. Negativity, planning and action, the three domains which correlate strongly with the GlucoCoper score, can be used to create a three-item GlucoCoper, to be used as a brief and effective screening tool for dysfunctional coping skills in pregnancy complicated by diabetes.

Indications for formula medical nutrition therapy in diabetes.

This article describes rational and pragmatic indications of signature or formula medical nutrition therapy (MNT) in diabetes care. Classifying MNT as meal/snack replacement and supplementation, it explores the biomedical, psychological and social indications of MNT usage. The need to ensure concordance of MNT with lifestyle and pharmacotherapy is reinforced. Highlighting the varied and flexible requirements of formula MNT, the authors reinforce the person-centred philosophy of diabetes care in general and MNT in particular.

Pre ketogenic diet counselling.

This communication describes the aims and aspects of counseling prior to start of a ketogenic diet (KD). It uses a reader-friendly bio-psycho-social format to list and structure the various components of pre ketogenic diet counseling. These include strength mapping, risk and benefit explanation, and understanding the patient's selfcare responsibilities. This simple, yet practical discussion fills a major void in current literature, which seems to have ignored patient centred counseling strategies for KD in persons with obesity and diabetes.

Obstetric metabolic medicine: a window to health.

Metabolic health is an integral part of overall health. Thisis especially true during the preconception, antenataland postpartum periods. Metabolic health influencesfoeto-maternal outcomes, as well as the long term healthof the unborn child. This communication shares apragmatic 3x3 rubric, which acts as a checklist for thehealth care provider. It calls for teamwork betweenobstetricians, physicians and other stakeholders, to ensureoptimal health outcomes for all.

Coping with Illness: Insight from the Bhagavad Gita.

The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita enlightens everyone on how to cope up with various situations in life. It uses the conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna to highlight initial negative coping mechanisms exhibited by the latter. It goes on to showcase positive coping skills suggested by Lord Krishna and implemented by Arjuna. The Bhagavad Gita, through this "case-based methodology," teaches us how to cope with a demanding situation. Diabetes is a lifestyle disease, which warrants a thorough change in one's lifestyle, including changes in basic activities such as diet and exercise. This brief communication utilizes the teachings of Bhagavad Gita to help in coping with illness, especially chronic illness such as diabetes. The article cites verses from the Bhagavad Gita to show how one may cope with the stress of illness such as diabetes.

Coping with diabetes: The 15 S coping skills list.

This communication lists and organizes 15 important coping skills, which can help one cope with the challenges and demands of living with diabetes. The 15 S list, as we term it, consists of 15 tips and tricks, which are classified into 5 domains: the power of thought, power of words, power of planning, power of motivation, and power of action. The list serves as a useful checklist and aid to clinical practice for all diabetes care professionals. The rubric facilitates a structured way of thinking and intervention, bringing objectivity to a field which is traditionally thought to be subjective. It offers practical ways of handling diabetes distress, and enhancing quality of life with diabetes.

The GlucoCoper - a Tool for the Assessment of Coping Mechanisms.

Diabetes distress - commonly encountered as a part of life with diabetes mellitus - can be effectively managed by coping skills training. Systematic assessment and documentation of the existing coping skills (and lack thereof) is a pre-requisite for planning such coping skills training. A six-item tool, the GlucoCoper - which assesses two negative (resistance, blame) and four positive (acceptance, optimism, planning and action) coping mechanisms - was administered to English-literate adult participants with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) at an endocrine centre in India. Each item was graded on a 10-point Likert scale. The GlucoCoper was administered to 338 participants. The tool demonstrated high internal validity. Total score on the GlucoCoper correlated with fasting and postprandial glucose. The GlucoCoper is a valid tool which can be used to assess and rate coping in persons with T2DM. It has potential in helping plan, deliver and monitor coping skills training in persons with diabetes distress.

Ramadan fasting during pregnancy: Obstetric risk stratification.

Some women may wish to fast during pregnancy or lactation, for religious or spiritual reasons. This may pose a dilemma to the obstetric care provider, who has to balance the need for maternal and foetal wellbeing with the wishes and needs of the mother. This communication describes a pragmatic, shared decision making, based on patient centred approach to this challenging clinical situation. It highlights simple clinical and investigation based clues which allow obstetric risk stratification of women in pregnancy or lactation. This clinical and laboratory based assessment allows appropriate decision making regarding fasting, while keeping foeto-maternal safety paramount.