Things are constantly changing and revolutionising in the health system. Thanks to technologies, there are now new ways to "heal". One such way is by indulging yourself in to the world of virtual reality and gaming, writes Dr Sathyanarayana LD, Consultant neurosurgeon at Narayana Health, Bengaluru for South First.

He notes that many people undergo surgery to remove brain tumors, which are one of the most complex and could be life-altering conditions for someone to face. Brain tumors could be benign or malignant, however, both affects the person's speech, motor function, memory, and their ability to perform day-to-day activities. This is the reason why, post-surgery, patients may be left with impairments, including physical, cognitive, and emotional. But thanks to technological advancement in the field of health, virtual reality (VR) and gaming have become "powerful tools for neurorehabilitation".

Dr Sathyanarayana notes that these means are not just for entertainment anymore. Since these means offer a more immersive and interactive experience, they have the potential to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment and also speed up the healing process, post-surgery.

How Does It Work? Why Does It Work?

The doctor notes that recovering from brain surgery is an intricate and lengthy journey. The brain does not return to full function immediately after the procedure; instead, it must gradually rebuild and rewire itself to regain what was lost.

This remarkable ability of the brain to reorganize and adapt, shaped by continuous learning and experience, is called neuroplasticity. It is through neuroplasticity that the brain creates new neural pathways to compensate for damaged areas and restore lost capabilities. In this complex process of rebuilding, gaming and virtual reality (VR) are emerging as powerful allies.

VR places patients in immersive, computer-generated environments that stimulate multiple senses at once—sight, sound, and even body awareness, known as proprioception. These rich sensory experiences actively engage different areas of the brain, sparking changes at the synaptic level, where neurons communicate with each other.

By simultaneously activating motor, sensory, and cognitive regions of the brain, VR encourages synaptic plasticity and broader neural reorganization. This multi-layered engagement fosters a more cohesive and efficient path to recovery, helping the brain rebuild its networks in a meaningful and impactful way.

Relearning Movement Through Virtual Play

Post-surgery, many patients face motor impairments like weakness or poor coordination. Virtual reality offers a safe and stimulating space to relearn movement through repetition and task-specific training—key elements for motor recovery.

For instance, VR games that simulate cricket—batting, catching, or goalkeeping—encourage repeated use of the shoulder, arm, and hand, helping restore motor skills. These games also adapt in difficulty and provide real-time feedback, keeping patients motivated while preventing fatigue.

Watching and participating in virtual activities also stimulates mirror neurons—cells involved in motor learning—which may strengthen communication between remaining healthy brain circuits and support recovery.

Training the Brain to Think Again

Beyond physical rehabilitation, brain surgery often impacts attention, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving. Gaming and VR can simulate real-life tasks in a structured, repeatable way, challenging cognitive functions in an enjoyable format.

Games involving memory recall, puzzles, and strategic decision-making push the brain to stay active. Over time, this improves working memory, executive function, and mental sharpness—key components of cognitive healing.

Emotional Healing in a Virtual World

Recovery is not just physical or cognitive—it’s deeply emotional too. Patients may feel anxious, depressed, or lose confidence. Immersive VR experiences can provide psychological comfort by offering calming spaces or achievement-oriented challenges.

These environments give patients a chance to see their progress, rebuild self-esteem, and stay hopeful—factors that are vital for long-term motivation and adherence to recovery routines.

Why VR and Gaming Work in Neurorehab

Repetition with engagement: Games make repetitive rehab feel enjoyable, which is essential for promoting neuroplasticity.

Customized progress: VR systems offer real-time biofeedback and adaptive difficulty, ensuring that challenges remain effective and engaging without overwhelming the patient.

Affordable and scalable: Innovations from institutions like IIIT Hyderabad’s Serious Games Lab are making VR solutions accessible and low-cost, even for rural and public healthcare settings.

Hearing is one of the most vital yet overlooked senses—and its impact extends far beyond the ears. It shapes how a child learns to speak, how a student performs in school, how adults stay socially connected, and even how the brain ages.

As Dr NVK Mohan, ENT and Cochlear Implant Surgeon at CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, explains, “Hearing is one of the most vital yet overlooked senses, and its impact extends far beyond the ears.”

This World Hearing Day, the focus is clear: ignoring hearing loss doesn’t just affect sound—it affects development, confidence, learning, and long-term brain health.

What Is Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss can happen when any part of the ear is not working in the usual way. This includes:

• The outer ear
• The middle ear
• The inner ear
• The hearing (acoustic) nerve
• The auditory system in the brain

When sound cannot travel properly through these structures—or when the brain cannot process sound clearly—hearing becomes impaired. It may be partial or complete, temporary or permanent, and can occur at any stage of life, from before birth to adulthood.

In Children: The Impact Goes Beyond the Ears

In children, hearing plays a central role in speech and language development. Even mild hearing loss can cause a child to miss critical sounds needed to build vocabulary and clear speech.

Dr Mohan notes, “In children, undetected hearing loss can interfere with speech development, learning ability, and social interaction, often affecting confidence and academic performance well into adulthood.”

Many parents assume that if a child responds to loud sounds, their hearing must be normal. But hearing is more complex than that.

“Healthy hearing requires the ability to perceive sounds across all frequencies, especially those essential for speech and language development,” he explains. “Delayed identification can mean missed developmental milestones that are difficult to recover later.”

Signs of Hearing Loss in Babies

Even if a baby has previously passed a hearing screening, parents should continue to look for warning signs:

• Does not startle at loud noises
• Does not turn to the source of a sound after 6 months of age
• Does not say single words like “mama” or “dada” by 1 year
• Turns head when seeing you but not when you call their name
• Seems to hear some sounds but not others

What may look like inattention can sometimes be partial or complete hearing loss.

Signs of Hearing Loss in Children

As children grow, signs may include:

• Delayed speech
• Unclear speech
• Difficulty following directions
• Frequently saying “Huh?”
• Turning the TV or radio volume up too high

Babies and children are expected to reach developmental milestones in how they play, learn, communicate, and behave. A delay in these areas could indicate hearing loss or another developmental concern—and should prompt a hearing evaluation.

What Causes Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss can occur at any time during life.

Genetic Causes

About 1 in 2 cases of hearing loss in babies are due to genetic factors. Some babies may have family members with hearing loss. Around 1 in 3 babies with genetic hearing loss have a syndrome, meaning they have additional conditions such as Down syndrome or Usher syndrome.

Other Risk Factors

Around 1 in 4 cases are linked to:

• Maternal infections during pregnancy
• Complications after birth
• Spending 5 days or more in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
• Severe jaundice requiring blood transfusion
• Structural differences in the head, face, or ears
• Neurological disorders
• Meningitis
• Severe head injuries requiring hospitalization

Recognizing these risks allows for closer monitoring and earlier diagnosis.

In Adults: When Hearing Loss Affects the Brain

The consequences of untreated hearing loss do not stop in childhood. In adults and older individuals, the risks shift from speech delays to brain health.

Dr Mohan highlights, “In adults and the elderly, untreated hearing loss is increasingly being linked to social withdrawal, memory problems, and cognitive decline.”

When the brain does not receive clear sound input, it must work harder to interpret speech.

“When the brain is deprived of clear sound input, it has to work harder to interpret speech, diverting cognitive resources away from memory and higher mental functions,” he explains. “Over time, this reduced auditory stimulation and social disengagement can increase the risk of accelerated cognitive ageing.”

In simple terms, when hearing decreases, conversations become exhausting. People may begin to withdraw socially. The brain receives less stimulation. Over time, this combination can affect cognitive resilience.

Hearing health, therefore, is closely linked to brain health.

Prevention: What Can Be Done?

While not all hearing loss can be prevented, certain measures reduce risk:

• Maintain a healthy pregnancy
• Ensure children receive recommended vaccinations
• Protect children from high noise levels
• Seek prompt treatment for ear infections

Noise-induced hearing loss, in particular, is preventable with awareness and protection.

Screening and Early Diagnosis: The Most Important Step

The most important message, experts say, is that hearing loss is both detectable and manageable—especially when addressed early.

“Hearing screening is easy and not painful. Babies are often asleep during the test, and it usually takes only a few minutes,” Dr Mohan says.

For Babies

• All babies should undergo hearing screening by 1 month of age.
• If a baby does not pass, a full hearing test should ideally be completed by 3 months.

For Children

• Hearing should be tested before school entry.
• Testing should also be done whenever there are concerns about speech delay, learning difficulties, or recurrent ear infections.
• Routine hearing checks are equally important for adults, particularly as they age.

Vaccinated for human papillomavirus (HPV)? Now, take that Pap smear test. This is the most common advice women hear to prevent the risk of cervical cancer that annually causes around 6,60,000 new cases and around 350,000 deaths worldwide.

However, it's easier said than done for most of the fairer sex.

A Pap smear is typically a gynecological examination where a speculum is inserted to collect cells from the cervix.

Although the procedure is brief and generally safe, the discomfort discourages many from getting screened. Fear of pain, anxiety of the results, form the common psychological barriers worldwide, and is followed by shame, cultural attitudes, and concerns with male clinicians.

A study in Iran, published in the BMJ Open journal in January 2024, showed that psychological stress, cultural issues, and fear, along with limited information and health services, were the biggest hindrances to getting Pap tests.

Another research published in the BMC Women's Health in December 2022, focusing on Africa, Asia, and South America, reported that many women avoided or delayed Pap smears because they are afraid the procedure will hurt. Many also reported being embarrassed about the pelvic exam or fear of having a stranger see their private areas. Some also worried that the test could damage the uterus.

A Pap Smear test, however, is proven to be safe and is recommended for every woman above the age of 21 years.

“A Pap smear is a rapid, safe, and painless screening procedure that detects irregular cellular changes well before they become malignant. The ability to treat at this pre-cancerous stage of disease provides an excellent outcome,” Dr. Tirathram Kaushik, Senior Consultant GI, HPB, Gastrointestinal & Thoracic Oncology and Robotic Surgery, HCG Cancer Centre, Borivali, told HealthandMe.

A 2025 study, published in the Journal of Contemporary Clinical Practice, showed that pap smears are excellent at ruling out precancerous risks. It also remains a valuable screening tool where molecular testing is limited.

There are many myths about Pap smears that make people anxious or avoid screening. Let’s clear up the most common ones:

Pap Smears Are Painful

The Pap smear procedure, which takes only a few minutes, is often described as uncomfortable. While some feel like a quick pinch, others experience slight discomfort or spotting. Severe pain is not considered normal.

“From an oncology perspective, this myth results in a delay in diagnosis. Cervical cancer often occurs silently in its early stages, without any noticeable symptoms,” Kaushik said.

I Am Healthy, So I don’t need A Pap Smear

While individuals may feel completely well, they still have abnormal cells developing silently. As a result, regular Pap smear screening is important because it detects these changes early -- before they turn into cervical cancer.

“The HPV infection and subsequent changes that lead to cervical cancer happen slowly over many years. HPV infection is also very common, and one in two women is likely to get infected. Regular screening by a Pap smear will help to catch infection early before it can convert into cancer,” Dr. Deepak Jha, Chief - Breast Surgery & Sr. Consultant Surgical Oncology, Artemis Hospitals, told HealthandMe.

I Have Only One Partner, So I don’t need Screening

“HPV doesn’t need penetrative sex for infection. It can be transferred if there is any contact of bodily fluid. It’s always safe to test and be assured rather than repent later,” Dr. Jha said.

Testing Means Cervical Cancer

“Even if HPV is detected, it usually indicates a pre-cancerous stage that is highly treatable,” Dr. Parminder Kaur, Consultant Gynecologic Oncologist at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, told HealthandMe.

Moreover, a Pap smear only screens for cervical cancer; it can’t detect other gynecological cancers such as cervical, ovarian, uterine (endometrial), vaginal, and vulvar cancers. So, screening and appropriate tests for those will be required, irrespective of the Pap smear.

I Am old, So I don’t need A Pap Smear

I Got Vaccinated, So I Do Not Need A Pap Smear

Irrespective of vaccinated status, a woman should go for regular screening between the ages of 25 and 79. Also, if a woman already had HPV exposure before being vaccinated, she would not benefit, the experts said.

“Screening is not just a routine procedure - it is a preventive measure. In the treatment of cancer, early detection alters the disease course, whereas waiting for symptoms to develop means the disease is likely to be already advanced,” Dr. Kaushik said.

Dr Kaur called for more awareness and stated that open discussion are key to help more women take the important screening test.

When To Get Screened

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommend getting your first Pap test at age 21, followed by Pap testing every 3 years. Even if you are sexually active, you do not need a Pap test before age 21.

• Individuals must start getting Pap tests at age 21. If the result is normal, repeat the test after three years.
• For individuals aged between 30 and 65 years old, doctors are likely to recommend an HPV test along with a Pap test. If both are normal, repeat after five years.

In women older than 65, you don't need to be screened anymore if:

• You have had at least three Pap tests or two HPV tests in the past 10 years, and the test results were normal or negative, and
• You have not had a cervical precancer in the past, or
• You have had your cervix removed as part of a total hysterectomy for non-cancerous conditions, like fibroids.

Are you still experiencing brain fog, fatigue, and mood changes even after years of a mild COVID-19 infection? A new study showed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, behind the COVID infection, can cause persistent brain inflammation and lung injury, according to a study.

Researchers from Tulane University, in Louisiana, US found that the brain inflammation lasts long even after the virus was no longer detectable.

Their study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, can answer why long COVID often includes neurological symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, and mood changes.

"Long-term effects on the brain were unique to SARS-CoV-2. That distinction is critical to understanding long COVID," said lead author Dr. Xuebin Qin, professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center. Qin also mentioned "lasting lung injury" among COVID patients.

In a mouse model, the team found that immune cells in the lungs failed to fully stand down and also spiked the buildup of collagen -- a protein associated with scarring.

The changes stiffened lung tissue, making breathing feel more labored -- a possible answer to breathlessness faced by COVID survivors.

Further, the researchers also noted no repair to the injury, suggesting the virus may interfere with the lung's natural healing process.

On the other hand, in the brain, the mice with COVID showed signs of persistent brain inflammation weeks later. The team also reported tiny areas of bleeding.

Conducting a gene expression analysis, the team found ongoing inflammatory signaling and disruption of pathways involved in serotonin and dopamine regulation -- brain functions linked to mood, cognition, and energy levels.

What Is Long COVID?

Long COVID is a collection of symptoms that last three months or longer after your first COVID symptoms. They include fatigue, brain fog, headaches, breathlessness, altered sense of smell or taste, headaches, and more.

While many of the Long conditions remain to be fully recognized, some people have more than one symptom.

mRNA Vaccine Against COVID

As per recent data from the World Health Organization, more than 43,000 new cases have been reported from 61 countries, between January and February.

Vaccination that prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection is the most effective way to prevent long COVID.

Recently, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended a marketing authorisation in the European Union (EU) for mCombriax -- a messenger RNA vaccine for protecting people aged 50 years and older against COVID-19 and seasonal influenza (flu).

Co-infection with the influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 can result in more severe disease than would occur with either SARS-CoV-2 or influenza virus infection alone.

mCombriax works like other vaccines by preparing the body to defend itself against infection. It contains messenger RNA with instructions for making proteins found on SARS-CoV-2 and the following seasonal influenza viruses: influenza type A-H1N1, influenza type A-H3N2, and influenza type B of the Victoria lineage.