Whether you are an athlete who is trying to recover from an injury, an office worker struggling with the pains of inactive life, or an elderly person suffering from joint pain due to age, yoga offers a subtle, yet powerful means of regaining flexibility while reducing pain. While consistent practice will allow you to develop flexibility, strengthen key supporting muscles, and stabilize your knee joint for more comprehensive support.

Knee pain can arise due to an injury, overuse, or just the aging process. Doing yoga helps work through the cause of knee discomfort through strengthening the muscles and stability in the joint. Most standing postures, for example, engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles all at once, which can work together to help support the knee joint. Still, not all poses are accessible to those suffering from knee pain-many require adaptations for safety and comfort.

Essential Tips Before You Start

If you’re new to yoga or resuming practice after a break, ease into the movements gradually. Prioritize consistency over intensity and avoid poses that may strain the knee joint. Using props like blocks or bolsters can also make certain poses more accessible.

Given below are seven yoga poses that may be highly beneficial for knee pain, along with modifications for safe practice. .

1. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

This stretches the legs, strengthens the muscles around knees, and promotes better balance.

• Stand with your feet 2 to 3 feet apart.
• Turn your right foot out 90 degrees and your left foot slightly inward.
• Extend your arms parallel to the floor.
• Hinge sideways at the waist, placing your right hand on your shin or the floor.
• Look up at your left hand if comfortable.
• Hold for 5 breaths on each side.

2. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

Tree Pose improves balance and strengthens the muscles of the legs, including those that support the knee.

• Begin in Mountain Pose with your spine neutral.
• Place your right foot on your ankle, shin, or inner thigh (not on the knee).
• Fold forward, bringing your arms to your heart center or overhead.
• Bring your knees together and drop your head. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths before releasing and repeating on the other side.

Tip- Use a wall for balance if needed.

3. Seated Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

This gentle twist relieves tension in the lower back and hips, which can indirectly ease knee pain.

- Sit cross-legged with an elongated spine. -

- Place your left hand on your right knee and your right hand behind you. -

- Inhale to elongate your spine and exhale to twist lightly. -

- Hold for 3 to 5 breaths and then switch sides.

Tip- Sit on a folded blanket to elevate your hips for comfort.

4. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)

This pose stretches the hamstrings and calves while relaxing the mind.

- Sit with your legs extended.

- Inhale to lengthen your spine and exhale to fold forward from your hips.

- Touch your feet or shins without arching in your back. .

- Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

Tip- Take a strap across your feet to aid the stretch.

5. Reclined Hand-to-Foot Pose (Supta Padangusthasana)

This is a hamstrings stretch that also strengthens the legs but does not stress the knees.

- Lie on your back with the left leg extended and the right knee bent.

- Use a strap around the right foot to gently pull your leg toward the ceiling.

- Hold for 3 to 5 breaths and repeat on the other side.

Tip- Bend the bottom knee if you feel lower back discomfort.

6. Prasarita Padottanasana: Standing Wide-Legged Forward Fold

This asana stretches the calves and hamstrings and also engages the legs muscles to reduce some of the tightness around your knees.

• Stand with feet 3-5 feet wide apart.
• You will hinge your body forward using your hips by keeping your torso straight.
• Touch your hands into the floor using blocks if there is not much space.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

Tip- Keep a slight bend in your knees if your hamstrings feel tight.

7. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

This pose strengthens the quadriceps, which play a crucial role in stabilizing the knee joint.

- Stand with your feet wide apart.

- Turn your left foot out 90 degrees and bend your front knee.

- Extend your arms parallel to the ground.

- Hold for 5 to 10 breaths before switching sides.

Tip- Avoid bending the front knee beyond 90 degrees.

Yoga Poses to Avoid

Deep Knee Bends: Styles such as Garland Pose (Malasana), or Hero's Pose (Virasana), may cause potential strain on knees and should, therefore, not be practiced

Knee-Bearing Poses: Avoiding poses like Camel Pose (Ustrasana), or Crescent Lunge (Anjaneyasana) causes pain.

Tips To Practice Yoga Safely With A Knee Pain

• Use Blocks, Bolster, and strap to support their bodies.
• The right place for positioning it would reduce their weight on an even basis reducing strain.
Avoid or adjust poses that are painful.

Yoga is a process of gradual building of strength and flexibility.

If that viral video of a Gurugram woman being pounded by a pet husky dog for no reason scares you to death, you are not alone. Indian streets are turning into nightmares for people due to increasing dog bites. Reportedly, there is a sharp rise in dog bite cases, with over 3.7 million incidents and 54 confirmed human rabies deaths reported in 2024. The figures, compiled by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the National Rabies Control Programme, show the grim situation and growing public health challenge.

Deaths caused by rabies also witnessed a sharp increase during the period. And this trend threatens India’s target of eliminating rabies by 2030 under its National Rabies Control Programme. While the woman was recently attacked by a pet Husky dog during a morning walk on the Gulf Course Road, no one is safe, especially the kids and the elderly.

The stray dog menace is taking over the streets, and here is everything you need to know about rabies and how it spreads.

If you think rabies only spreads through a bite, think again. While dog bites are the most well-known cause of Rabies infection, the virus can also be transmitted through something as simple as a lick, especially if it comes into contact with broken skin, the eyes, nose, or mouth. This is not a rare exception; it is a recognised mode of transmission and one that can be fatal if ignored.

Not to spook you into avoiding every friendly tail-wagger in your lane, but it is time we stopped thinking of rabies as a “bite-only” infection. This deadly disease does not wait around for dog attacks. It can infect you quietly, undetected, and by the time symptoms show up, it is usually too late.

The Lick That Could Kill

Rabies is caused by a virus present in the saliva of infected animals. While bites are the most common way this virus enters the human body, they are not the only route. If an infected animal licks a cut, scrape, broken skin, or even your eyes, nose, or mouth, the virus can get in. That means even cuddly encounters with pets, if they are unvaccinated and infected, can be risky.

The scary part is that you do not always feel or notice the moment it happens. A small scratch from a street pup, or a wet doggy kiss on a chapped lip, may not register as dangerous. But if the animal is rabid, that is all the opportunity the virus needs.

Do Not Wait for Symptoms

Rabies is one of the few diseases with a 99.9 per cent fatality rate once symptoms appear. It starts off with flu-like signs: fever, fatigue, and maybe a horrendous headache. But things quickly escalate. You can suffer hallucinations, paralysis, seizures, hydrophobia and eventually coma.

Once the virus reaches your nervous system, modern medicine throws up its hands. There is no cure.

But rabies is 100 per cent preventable if treated in time.

What You Should Do Immediately

The moment you realise you have been licked, scratched, or bitten by an animal, especially one that is unvaccinated or unknown, drop everything and:

1. Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes. This one step could significantly reduce your risk.

2. Apply antiseptic like iodine or alcohol.

3. Rush to a doctor; do not wait for swelling, itching or any other sign. You will need a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) shot, which includes a course of anti-rabies vaccines and sometimes immunoglobulin injections.

4. Keep a record of the animal if possible. If it is someone’s pet, you will want to confirm their vaccination history.

Dogs Are Not the Only Issue

While dogs are responsible for 95 per cent of rabies cases in India, they are not the only suspects. Cats, monkeys, bats, and even cows can carry the virus. Basically, any warm-blooded mammal is fair game. So if a cheeky monkey in a temple town swipes at you, or a bat dive-bombs your balcony and leaves a scratch, take it seriously.

You do not need a bite to get rabies. You just need a moment of bad luck and a droplet of infected saliva. But that does not mean we need to start treating every dog badly. It just means we need to be alert, informed, and quick to act.

'Medical Memoir' is a Health & Me series that delves into some of the most intriguing medical histories and unveils how medical innovations have evolved over time. Here, we trace the early stages of all things health, whether a vaccine, a treatment, a pill, or a cure.

You think this is a history lesson, but let’s do some math. What does Hepato‑ (“liver”) + ‑tropic (“infecting and replicating in the liver”) + DNA (HBV genome) equal? That spells hepatitis—a mystery virus long misunderstood, long before COVID dominated headlines.

This isn’t just linguistic trivia. It’s a journey through centuries of medical detective work, flawless missteps, and public health triumphs—all centered on one family of viruses that quietly reshaped liver medicine and modern virology.

Early Clues in Jaundice and Contagion

Hepatitis didn’t appear on a microscope slide in the 20th century—it was described millennia earlier. Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates observed jaundice as a distinctive yellowing of skin and eyes. By the 8th century, medical writers suspected jaundice was contagious, hinting at an infectious agent at work in the liver.

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, dramatic epidemics of jaundice spread through soldiers and navies. Shared living quarters, contaminated water, and later, mass inoculation campaigns and reused syringes during wars linked the outbreaks to bloodborne transmission. By 1885, physicians recognized that transfused blood could carry the mysterious jaundice-causing pathogen. And when measles and yellow fever vaccinations during World War II triggered outbreaks, it became clear: an unseen virus replicated in bloodstreams—and in the liver.

This early history underscored two enduring facts: hepatitis came in different forms, and it was stealthy, delayed, and extremely hard to track.

Naming a Virus in Two Parts

By mid-century, researchers sought to categorize the illness. In 1947, MacCallum introduced a dual classification that would shape all future work: Viral Hepatitis A (infectious, via contaminated food or water) and Viral Hepatitis B (serum-borne, via blood and body fluids). That breakthrough turned a single symptom—jaundice—into a family of diseases with different transmission pathways and prevention needs.

Modern hepatitis history truly began in the 1960s. In 1963, Baruch Blumberg identified the Australia antigen (HBsAg) in Aboriginal Australians and hemophiliac blood donors using immunologic screening. It was the first direct marker for Hepatitis B virus, revealing a virus that lay dormant in carriers, often for decades.

The story advanced quickly:

1970 – The Dane particle (complete HBV virus) was visualized, proving the viral identity.

Early 1970s – Researchers described the HBeAg, another disease marker.

1973 – Hepatitis A virus (HAV) was isolated, confirming two different viruses.

Suddenly, hepatitis was no longer a vague syndrome—it was a family of identifiable pathogens. That scientific clarity laid the foundation for prevention and treatment.

Finding a Cure Before HCV With Plasma‑Derived Vaccines

The early HBV vaccine story is unique. Developed from human plasma, it became the first vaccine not produced via tissue culture, licensed under the name Heptavax in 1981. That innovation paved the way for recombinant vaccines, but the achievement stood alone for a time. Taiwan’s national HBV vaccination program, launched in 1984, offered powerful proof of impact:

HBV carrier rate dropped from 9.1% to 2.7% among children.

Rates of pediatric hepatocellular carcinoma plummeted from 27% to 17%.

Effectively, this was the world’s first anti-cancer vaccine. The vaccine didn’t just stop liver infection—it significantly reduced childhood liver cancers in real populations.

The C Virus and the Molecular Breakthrough of 1989

In 1989, the hepatitis world shifted again. A team led by Choo, Kuo, and Houghton unveiled Hepatitis C virus (HCV) using molecular cloning techniques—no tissue culture, electron microscope, or serology required. It was the first virus discovered solely via genetic methods.

That breakthrough explained persistent post‑transfusion hepatitis cases, intravenous drug-user outbreaks, and a heavy burden of global liver disease. It was the start of a new era: molecular virology, where pathogens were identified by their RNA alone.

Soon came discoveries of HDV (delta virus), HEV, and GBV‑C/HGV (hepatitis G virus). This growing catalog of viral types clarified why hepatitis symptoms varied and why prevention needed multiple strategies.

From Unproven Remedies to Modern Antivirals

Mid-20th-century treatment was often worse than the disease: prolonged bed rest and steroids were used for acute hepatitis until controlled trials in the ’60s showed they caused harm. In chronic cases, steroids lingered until the 1980s, when researchers clearly proved they worsened outcomes.

By the early 1990s, interferon alpha offered the first real antiviral option. In 1998, lamivudine appeared, followed by more potent nucleoside analogues in the 2000s. For chronic HBV, these drugs allowed suppression of the virus with daily pills—a huge leap in quality of life. HCV treatment advanced spectacularly:

• Pegylated interferon plus ribavirin drove cure rates into the 40–60% range.
• Protease inhibitors like boceprevir and telaprevir added another 30%+ success.
• By the 2010s, direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) offered cure rates above 85–90% within a few months, without interferon.
• Chronic HCV became the only curable chronic viral infection—a feat comparable in scope to eradication campaigns for smallpox or polio.

Globally today, over 300 million people live with chronic HBV or HCV and over 1.3 million die annually from liver cirrhosis, cancer, or hepatitis complications.

In response, the World Health Organization’s 2022–2030 strategy aims to reduce new infections by 90% and deaths by 65%. It underscores the urgent need for universal vaccinations, access to testing, and treatment—especially in low-income settings across Asia and Africa, without coordinated action, projections warn:

• 9.5 million new infections,
• 2.1 million liver cancer cases,
• 2.8 million deaths by 2030.

Yet history offers reason for optimism: the leaps science made over just a few decades show what’s possible—with political will, investment, and global partnerships.

HBV opened new pathology understanding by linking to polyarteritis nodosa. HCV revealed risks beyond the liver: cryoglobulinemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, metabolic disorders like Type II diabetes, and altered lipid profiles. Hepatitis viruses reshaped fields ranging from rheumatology to oncology.

The discoveries required collaboration—and some competition—across labs and continents. The story of hepatitis is one of scientific rivalry, teamwork, serendipity, and intellectual persistence. That blend of curiosity and rigor transformed a family of mysterious illnesses into preventable and treatable diseases.

Long before COVID captured global focus—before masks, PCR tests, and lockdowns—hepatitis was a mystery virus that haunted generations. It caused jaundice, silent liver failure, and cancer. It eluded diagnosis, lacked vaccines, and spread undetected.

Yet through a combination of linguistic insight, molecular science, epidemiology, and public health action, the world unraveled its secrets—one virus at a time.

Today, hepatitis is no longer an invisible threat. It's a medical triumph—because when science is patient, and public health persistent, even the most elusive pathogens can be conquered. The story isn't over, but it's a testament to what decades of dedication and discovery can achieve.

First impressions can be deceiving, but they can also set the tone for your future interactions. A person who you perceive to be difficult will remain so in your eyes, until they actively prove otherwise. If that person keeps behaving as he is, even if their actions are not always unjustifiable, one finds ways to back their beliefs. Did you know this could also apply to babies, even before they are born?

A recent study done by researchers at University of Notre Dame suggests that the way medical staff talk during an ultrasound can really influence how new parents feel about their baby. For many people, the ultrasound is the very first time they get a glimpse of their child. If a technician blames a poor image on the baby being "uncooperative," this small comment can set a negative tone.

This kind of language can stick with parents, affecting how they see their child even before birth and possibly leading to less involved parenting later on. The study, published in Communications Psychology, highlights how these seemingly small word choices can have a lasting impact.

How Early Perceptions Affect Parenting?

The research found a clear connection between how mothers felt about their baby during pregnancy and how they viewed their toddler later on. Women who had a more positive view of their unborn child during the study reported fewer emotional or behavioral issues in their children at 18 months old.

On the other hand, mothers who had a more negative view of their unborn baby were more likely to report that their toddlers had trouble with things like attention, managing their emotions, and sleeping. This link was shown in an experiment where mothers who were told their baby was "uncooperative" were more likely to have a negative view of their child later.

Does A Child’s Behavior Affect Parents’ Bond?

Previous research has shown that a baby’s behavior can affect how the parents see them. According to the Frontiers in Public Health connection between how parents perceive their baby's behavior and the parents' own mental health and bonding with the baby. Researchers surveyed 73 mothers of infants between 3.5 weeks and 6 months old. The study found that when mothers reported their infants had frequent stomach or crying issues, they were also more likely to have:

• Bonding issues with their baby
• Higher levels of anxiety
• Higher levels of depression

The researchers believe that asking parents about their baby's behavior could be a simple way for healthcare professionals to identify mothers who need extra support and babies who may need additional help.

This study highlighted a new way for doctors and nurses to help new parents. Instead of only looking at risk factors like a parent's age, they could use simple questionnaires to ask about a parent's perception of their baby's behavior. This approach could make it easier to find families who need support, ensuring they get targeted help more quickly and efficiently.

This could lead to better relationships between parents and their babies and improve a child's long-term outcomes. The study also emphasizes the need for more research, particularly with larger, more diverse groups of people, to better understand these connections.

Importance of Mindful Communication

The findings of this study show just how important it is for healthcare providers to be careful with their words. Simple comments made during a critical moment like an ultrasound can have a lasting impact on parents.

The gap between patients and their healthcare professionals widen when communication lacks. This was shown in a 2020 survey published in the JAMA Open Network. The study found that more than 41% of women reported holding back from asking their clinicians questions during prenatal appointments. They reported several reasons for their reluctance like the clinician seemed rushed, they didn’t want to seem difficult, as well as preference to a different plan than what the clinicians wanted.

This careful communication could even play a role in a mother's risk for postpartum depression. Since the bond between a parent and child begins to form so early, a negative experience during an ultrasound could potentially affect this crucial relationship, influencing the well-being of both the parent and the child over time.