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More than 35 million people suffer from sinusitis problems every year around the world. Usually, if you suffer from pain, pressure, and other recurring and persistent sinus infections, you can choose from two treatment options. You could opt for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), or undergo medical therapy with antibiotics and steroids. You can now also choose a new, in-office procedure called balloon sinuplasty.

What is balloon sinuplasty?

It is a minimally invasive procedure which is meant to treat chronic and recurrent sinusitis. This treatment allows the ENT specialist to introduce a small balloon which expands and dilates the sinus opening and drainage pathways so that the built up mucus can drain.

How does the procedure work?

Chronic or recurrent sinusitis can prevent effective drainage and healing. If your first treatment options don’t resolve the inflammation of the sinus or the symptoms, then balloon sinuplasty may be the best choice for you. You should meet with your ENT specialist to explain and determine the procedure best for you.

The procedure is used for expanding the sinus openings and drainage passageways so that the mucus trapped within the sinus can drain. Once the ENT specialist locates the area of treatment and has applied local anesthesia, the balloon is inflated for dilation. Once the passageways are opened, the balloon is deflated and then removed.

Instant relief and long-lasting results

Balloon sinus dilation or balloon sinuplasty is a less-invasive procedure and your ENT specialist can easily perform it in-office. The main goal of the procedure is to expand the sinus passageways and restore the drainage functions. Small balloons are placed into key areas within the sinus passageway during this procedure and these are then dilated for expanding the sinus pathways. This treatment does not require the use of general anesthesia and you can resume your normal routine within 24 hours. Your ENT specialist will determine whether your sinus problems can be solved with balloon sinuplasty or other treatment options.

What is Pain Management | Treatment for Chronic Pain

All you need to know about Sciatica treatment

An obese person incurs 25% higher health expenditures than a person of normal weight in any given year. http://www.oecd.org/health/49716427.pdf

Dr Anoop Mishra, director of diabetology, obesity and metabolism department, Fortis Group asserts that a lower BMI guideline is necessary for Indians living anywhere in the world. "Indians are more prone to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. We are developing diseases at lower BMI too, so it was absolutely necessary to revise these in India. We have also revised exercise guidelines to 60 minutes, all 7 days of the week. But a lot more still needs to be done. The government needs to launch a major programme to counter the obesity issue. Otherwise there will soon be a diabetic factory in India." http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-08-02/news/28385935_1_anti-obesity-body-mass-index-bmi

From http://www.jmnn.org/temp/JMedNutrNutraceut1137-8786347_022626.pdf

Earlier, developing countries, including India, had focused scarce public health resources primarily on the high prevalence of undernutrition. However, these nations are currently facing the double burden of undernutrition as well as overnutrition. Data regarding the nutritional status of adults, as determined by body mass index (BMI), indicate that 50% of Indian adults suffer from different types of chronic energy deficiency, in that they have a BMI <18.5 kg/m^2. In the same survey, it was observed that the BMI values were similar in men and women; however, there were more overweight/obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m^2) women (6.6%) than men (3.5%). In certain regions, obesity and consequent diseases are posing an enormous public health problem.

From http://www.childinfo.org/files/low_birthweight_from_EY.pdf

"India alone accounts for 40 per cent of low birthweight births in the developing world and more than half of those in Asia"

From http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932523994

"Health at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators

2. NON-MEDICAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH - Overweight and obesity among children

2.4.1. Children aged 5-17 years who are overweight (including obese), latest available estimates 18.3% girls and 20.6% boys in India.

10 facts on obesity

Reviewed March 2013

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obesity/facts/en/index.html (details on site)

1. Overweight and obesity are defined as "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health"

Body mass index (BMI) – the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2) – is a commonly used index to classify overweight and obesity in adults. WHO defines overweight as a BMI equal to or more than 25, and obesity as a BMI equal to or more than 30.

2. More than 1.4 billion adults were overweight in 2008, and more than half a billion obese

3. Globally, over 40 million preschool children were overweight in 2008

4. Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight

5. For an individual, obesity is usually the result of an imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended

6. Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices and preventing obesity

7. Children's choices, diet and physical activity habits are influenced by their surrounding environment

8. Eating a healthy diet can help prevent obesity

People can:
1) maintain a healthy weight
2) limit total fat intake and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats
3) increase consumption of fruit, vegetables, pulses, whole grains and nuts
4) limit the intake of sugar and salt.

9. Regular physical activity helps maintain a healthy body

10. Curbing the global obesity epidemic requires a population-based multisectoral, multi-disciplinary, and culturally relevant approach