The Retired Doctor

 

After the last blog post on Dhirubhai Ambani, https://agnipathdoctors.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-dhirubhai-ambanis-accountant.html

many of my friends complained that I was being unfair in expecting others to work like Dhirubhai. There is some truth in their words that everyone cannot work like Dhirubhai Ambani and achieve his greatness. But each of us in our own way can put in some extra effort if want ourselves and our country to rise in the world. Let me share with you the true story of one of my senior colleagues.

When Dr. Dev (fictional name)  shifted from New Delhi and joined a small hospital in the town, the surgeons working there had their outpatient clinic in the morning and operate on the patients in the afternoon. The anesthetist, Dr. Jay (fictional name) used to come at 1 - 1.30 PM to the hospital and stay till 5 to 6.00 PM depending on the number of cases. Since Dr. Dev was new to the town, he did not know much about Dr. Jay, the anesthetist.

After some time, Dr. Dev learned that Dr. Jay was initially in a government job working in the district hospital. From there he had taken voluntary retirement and started working as an anesthetist in the private sector.

Dr. Dev was impressed that Dr. Jay was getting a decent monthly pension and full medical treatment and reimbursement coverage, but instead of sitting in his home watching television and reading newspaper and magazines (smartphones with social media was not present then), he was working and supplementing his monthly fixed pension.

Once Dr. Dev wanted to operate on a case early in the morning. He asked the anesthetist, Dr. Jay, if he can come early the next day to give anesthesia to the patient. Dr. Jay looked at him with amazement. ‘Dr. Dev,’ he said, ‘it appears you don’t know that I go daily to the Famous Eye Hospital. I work there from 7.00 AM in the morning to 1.00 PM. You will have to call another anesthetist if you want to operate in the morning time.’

Dr. Dev was amazed. Here is a person who has retired from his job, getting a decent monthly pension, yet he is reporting daily to work at 7.00 AM in the morning and after a hurried lunch again working in the afternoon. How many of you will work from 7.00 AM in the morning to 5.00 PM in the evening when you are having an assured monthly income?

Story Finished? Not so.

Once an emergency case came to the hospital that had to be operated on at around 6.00 PM. The operation was expected to last two to three hours. Dr. Dev requested Dr. Jay to stay and give anesthesia to the patient. 

Dr. Jay agreed and called someone on the phone, ‘Inform madam that I will be late due to an emergency case and start the clinic without me.’ Dr. Dev, who overheard the conservation was curious, what was this about. He bluntly asked Dr. Jay which clinic he was talking about.

Dr. Jay replied, ‘Dr. Dev, I was talking with my nursing assistant. I and my wife run a small clinic in the evening in the Old City area. But don’t worry, my wife, who is also a doctor will handle the patients and I will join her after the case is over.’

Sometime later Dr. Dev met an acquaintance who was living in the area where Dr. Jay and his wife were running their clinic. He asked about Dr. Jay and his clinic. The acquaintance was impressed Dr. Dev knew Dr. Jay. He informed Dr. Dev that Dr. Jay and his wife were very popular among the patients in their area. His wife was in fact had more clientele and was the leading practitioner in the area. Due to the huge number of patients, their clinic sometimes runs as late as 10 PM at night.

Dr. Dev was awestruck. Dr. Jay was working from 7.00 AM in the morning till 10 PM in the night, after retirement, at an advanced age, when he was having an assured monthly pension and his wife was having a very successful clinical practice.

So next time before crying and complaining about your earnings, rising inflation and cost of living, the economy, and GDP ask yourself, are you honestly working as hard as Dr. Jay, ‘the retired doctor’.

— ND

(Based on allegedly true incident.)

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms.

The Dhirubhai Ambani’s Accountant

Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani or more popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani was an Indian business magnate who founded the Reliance Industry. His journey from the small village in which he was born and did his initial schooling to the corporate world of Mumbai is a source of fascination to all those who want to create a unique place in this world. Unfortunately, there is not enough authentic detail about the small things that made him such a great man. 

Once I was talking with one of my senior colleagues. I don’t remember the exact context of how the conversation turned to this but he informed me that his maternal uncle (मामा जी) was one of the Munim or traditional Indian accountants of Dhirubhai Ambani. 

His uncle described how after completing his work at the refinery/factory, no matter how late it was, Dhirubhai Ambani always used to come to the office where the Munims or Accountants used to work. The munims/accountants used to sit in a long row, and one by one, Dhirubhai Ambani will go to each accountant and check thoroughly the daily accounts. He will not leave until every account book has been checked and verified. Sometimes, this task lasted as late as 3.00 AM in the morning. Surprisingly, no matter what time he had left at night, he was always back at his factory/refinery by 7.00 AM the next morning.

If you analyze these few simple sentences you will unearth the personal characteristics which no doubt contributed to Dhirubhai Ambani’s success and are worth emulating by anyone who wants to succeed in business and life.

No matter how late or tired he was from his day work, Dhirubhai always used to come to check the accounts. This shows his regularity and dedication to work and his physical capacity to put in long hours of work. 

He used to verify and check the accounts himself. This shows his mental stamina, a head for numbers and figures. You cannot hope to survive in a business world if you cannot understand and make sense of your business accounts, your cash flow, and expenses. You have to be an expert in number-crunching as they say.

There is no doubt that all his munims/accountants were men of high moral and ethical integrity but still, he checked the vast number of accounts himself instead of relying blindly on them. 

I had an acquaintance once who was in the financing and loan business. With an eye to expand his business, he opened a branch office in the opposite part of the city. He made his second in command as the chief of the branch office. Initially, he used to regularly visit the branch office and check the accounts, but slowly his supervisory visits become less frequent and stopped altogether.

After some months when he checked the accounts he was shocked to find that the branch office was running in loss. Using the opportunity provided by his absence and non-checking of the accounts book, his second in command had slowly diverted the profitable clients to a small firm he had started on the side, leaving only loss-making accounts in the branch office. But it was too late. The loss from the unsupervised branch office was so much that he had to sell his personal property to cover the losses and ended up working for others to make his ends meet. A riches to rags story.

Another thing, no matter how late it was, Dhirubhai never postponed his work to the next day. Finish your work the same day, even if the day has turned into the next day. If all of us just follow his one simple rule that I will not stop until I have finished the day’s work, the earth will be a much better place.

No matter how late he was in going back home, Dhirubhai was always back to work in the early morning. This shows his regularity and dedication to work. Another thing is his 7.00 AM early morning timing. There is enough research and studies to show that a large majority of the modern CEOs, business heads, have an early morning rising habit and start working at the time when the less successful people are getting up and having their morning tea/coffee. If you are really passionate about your work, you are more likely to get up and start working early. You don’t require your boss or HR department to force you to come early on time. 

I remember my days as a senior resident in AIIMS, New Delhi. The normal working timing of AIIMS was from 8.30 AM. On operation days the senior resident was required to take the ward round at around 7.00 AM so that the junior residents can finish their ward work and reach the operation theater before 8.30 AM. While going to the ward from the academic block 5th floor for the early ward round, I noticed that some of the surgery department faculty members were in their offices even before me and were already working or studying. These were the same faculty members who had created a name for themselves and AIIMS. Early morning working is the hallmark of achievers in both the business and the academic world.

I hope you will find these small things from Dhirubhai Ambani’s life inspiring and help you in your path of success.

— ND

(Based on allegedly true incident.)

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms.

 

The Caffeine Alternatives

 

After the last blog post on tea and coffee and energy drinks, people asked me if there are any alternatives to them for increasing mental alertness and counter sleepiness. Unfortunately, a fully effective alternative to caffeine does not exist, but you can try some of these things which I have used with variable results.

Cold Water Splashes: Splashing icy cold water on your face can shock you back and may help in increasing your alertness. I remember the water cooler on the first floor of the library at AIIMS, New Delhi. Its water was so cold that you had difficulty drinking it without glass, but you splash it on your face and instant alertness. Splashing cold water on the face and especially the eye region has the additional benefit that it is refreshing for the eyes tired by the long hour of study or visual work.

Exercise: We are not talking about the long exercise routine which makes you so tired to you just fall down asleep. Here we need short, explosive burst of rapid body movement exercises. This can be running or spot running, jumping jacks or burpees, squats, or even push-ups. They should be done for just 1-2 minutes only. This will release adrenaline in your body. You may repeat after some time as needed. In addition to increasing your mental alertness, it also has the small benefit of physical fitness. But be sure of your fitness level and initial warm-up and stretching, otherwise, you may land up with a musculoskeletal injury or other health issues.

Yogic Breathing exercises or Pranayam: Various types of yogic breathing or Paranyam have been described with each having specific mental and physical benefits. Two are especially useful for students and others having increased mental exertion.

The first breathing exercise is known as ‘Bhastrika’. It is supposed to be a generalized energy booster. It can be done for a few minutes to increase the alertness level and mood elevation. The second breathing exercise is ‘Kapalbhati’. This is again said to increase the energy level in the body but in addition, it is said to help in increasing mental concentration. A few minutes of ‘Kapalbhati’ immediately before studying or giving exams may be helpful in realizing your potential.

I am not giving details on how to do them as these Yogic breathing exercises or pranayam are best learned under the direct supervision of an expert teacher so that correct technique is learned and mistakes are avoided. If personal instructions are not possible then you can search on YouTube for some excellent instructors for them. I personally prefer those by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Baba Ramdev from India.

Music: Listening to upbeat and peppy music can serve as a mood elevator. But make sure it does not turn into a distraction. Different people may react to different types of music differently. So try out different songs, music tracks, and playlist well before your exam time to determine what work best for you.

Diet: All those of us who have felt sleepy after a heavy meal can testify to the effect of diet on our alertness. For increased alertness avoid a large heavy meal. Avoid fried, fat, butter, and oil-rich food. Eat a small amount of food at a time. Stop eating before your stomach feels full. Get up slightly hungry from the dining table. Eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.

Medicines:  James Bond had been reported to use an amphetamine drug-like Benzedrine for stimulation on his mission and remain awake and alert. But thankfully they are banned and not available nowadays. Such drugs which claim to increase alertness and concentration are to be strictly avoided.

The more important thing is to be kept in mind that certain medicines, like cough and cold medicines, painkillers, anti-depressant, anti-psychotic drugs, anti-epilepsy drugs, etc. can have a sedative effect and increase sleepiness and drowsiness. So be aware of the side effects of any medicine you are taking and avoid them in consultation with your doctor at study and exam time.

Scents: Scents can have an effect on our mood, alertness, and mental ability. Peppermint, Lemon and other Citrus scents, Rosemary and  Cinnamon have been reported to increase mental alertness and memory. Interestingly even the smell of Coffee can have a stimulation effect.

In contrast, scents such as Lavender, Jasmine, and Chamomile can have a relaxing and soothing effect. So they can be avoided during active study time but can be used at break time and bedtime to promote relaxation, decrease anxiety and calm the mind.

Try out these different scents and essential oils well before your exam time to determine what works best for you.

NB: This is not a scientific article. Please verify the facts yourself before trying anything.

— ND

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms. 

The ‘Red Ox’ Student

Dr. Dev (fictional name) was discussing with the intern posted in his unit how students are studying in present times. The intern gave an interesting piece of information. He informed that many students in his college drink the popular energy drink ‘Red Ox’ (fictional name) and study the entire night and give the exam.

Dr. Dev's interest was piqued. He was aware of the so-called energy drinks used by sportsmen and athletes but this was the first time he was hearing it use as mental energy drink aid to studying and giving an exam. He studied the ingredients listed by the manufacturer of the energy drink and concluded that its mental effect is just due to the high sugar and caffeine content in the drink. These are two things a student can get cheaply and conveniently by drinking sweetened tea and coffee. The cost of tea or coffee in a college canteen or cafe is usually 4 to 5 times cheaper than the so-called energy drink. 

Please note, by Tea, I mean tea prepared from leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Other herbal preparations of ‘Tea’ prepared from other herbs and plants are quite different from that of the Camellia Sinensis plant in terms of caffeine content, with some having zero caffeine in it.

High Sugar containing drinks can lead to an upbeat feeling due to the fast rise in blood sugar levels but when the blood sugar goes down as fast as it went up, it can cause a reverse depressing effect. This is in addition to the harmful risks of high sugar intake such as obesity and damage to teeth enamel.

These ‘energy drinks’ also contain other ingredients like Taurine, vitamins, electrolytes, etc. Some have raised concern that this combination of ingredients can cause harmful effects especially heart-related. So plain tea or coffee may be safer.

The amount of caffeine in a cup of tea or coffee can vary significantly depending on the type and preparation of the drink. A cup of black tea can have 45 mg to as much as 90 mg of caffeine and green tea around 20 to 50 mg. White tea generally has the least amount of caffeine. The amount of caffeine also increases with how long it is boiled/seeped and how hot is the water.

A cup of coffee can have 50 to 95 mg of caffeine. In comparison, cans of energy drinks can have 80 to 110 mg of caffeine (check the label). The maximum intake of caffeine in 24 hour period of a healthy adult is around 400 mg to 500 mg. So it is less likely to overdose while drinking tea or coffee.

Caffeine no doubt has a stimulating effect that can lead to increased alertness, less sleepiness, improved mood, and mental and physical performance. But there can be side effects to caffeine such as anxiety, palpitations, changes in heartbeat, a feeling of restlessness, and insomnia. Same as those many students face at the time of the exam. These side-effects may be more prominent in those people who are born intolerant to caffeine.

With regular use, there is the danger of developing a mild addiction. You may have ‘withdrawal symptoms’ like headache, restlessness, or a feeling of lethargy and loss of energy if you are not able to have your caffeine drink at your usual time. 

If you get up late or the college/hostel canteen is closed and you reach the exam hall without your morning dose of tea/coffee, your performance may decrease badly. So have some standby/emergency arrangements in your room. Dr. Dev in the morning just stir a spoonful of instant coffee powder in a cup of plain unheated water and drink it without milk or sugar. A fast easy method if you can tolerate the bitter taste.

You may also develop tolerance with regular drinking. You may require more cups of your caffeine drink for the same effect which you were having in past. This may lead to side-effects of drinking too much tea or coffee. Therefore, during the non-exam time, it may be a good idea to limit your intake of tea or coffee to just one or two cups in a day and increase near exam time if needed.

Another factor to keep in mind with tea made from the Camellia Sinensis plant is that it contains a natural chemical compound called L-theanine in addition to caffeine. L-theanine has been described to have a stress-reducing and calming effect. This has can have a synergist effect with the caffeine in the tea. So with tea, you may feel more alert, focused, and energetic without the anxiety and nervous effect of consuming caffeine alone. 

There is nothing magical in so-called ‘energy drinks'. Coffee or tea can be cheaper and more healthy alternative. Even with them, there may be side effects of caffeine. Tea has the additional benefit of L-theanine over coffee. With regular use, you run the risk of developing dependence and addiction, and tolerance to increasing doses. So plan accordingly.

Tit-Bit: Batman (© DC Comics) prefers to drink tea rather than coffee, no doubt due to his upbringing by his British origin butler, Alfred Pennyworth. His favorite blend is ‘Earl Grey’. 

Please read the danger of studying all night and giving exam is shared in this old blog post. https://agnipathdoctors.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-all-night-revision.html

Please Note: This is not a scientific article. Please verify the facts yourself before trying anything.

— ND

(Based on allegedly true incident.)

© Author. All rights reserved. 

Please share this post on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

If viewing from Mobile, switch to Webpage view to see a list of popular posts and index of topics of previous posts.

Please give your valuable feedback via the comments below. Please note that comments will appear later only after moderation. Please Log in with Google Id before writing comments.

You can receive a notification on the latest post by subscribing via clicking on the bottom of the page on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to NMC and other Board norms.