The guest of the tenth episode of TuriyaTalks, Season 6 was Dr. P.K. Sethy, the Head of Gastroenterology Department in Medica Superspecialty Hospital, accompanied by our host Sandhya Sutodia, the co-founder of Turiya Communications, a Kolkata based communications agency. The session was held on 10th December 2020. The topic of the discussion was – “Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases”.

TuriyaTalks is a platform for motivation, knowledge and wisdom, where the guests shed light on issues perturbing our lives. The guests intend to empower our audience with coping mechanisms, so that, not only do we survive this pandemic with courage, but grow through it.
Dr. Sethy explained his views on the idiom “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” He stated that preventing something from damaging rather than repairing the damage, is the ultimate key to healthy life and the same applies to Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases. He enlightened our viewers with the fact that to prevent liver disease one needs to be careful about their diet.
The main reasons for any liver diseases are excessive consumption of alcohol, unknown medications, and fat stored in our bodies. He further spoke about colon cancer which can be inherited by children from their parents, but can be treated with the help of colonoscopy where the polyp is taken out as it causes colon cancer. So, to prevent liver disease, one needs to cut down on fat and stop consuming alcohol. Multiple vaccines are also available for preventing liver diseases such as Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B.
According to Dr. Sethy, the relationship between a doctor and patient should be of mutual trust and respect. He spoke about how with the help of Google, patients are now more aware of the treatment process and share them with doctors which also helps in building the trust and better treatment. He also said that long term illnesses are not that harmful but can decrease the quality of life and make people disinterested in daily tasks. He told the viewers that it is important to consult the right doctor at the right time when symptoms are at an alarming rate.
He shared how one can understand the worrying symptoms of liver disease such as weight loss, the requirement of frequent medications for a painful abdomen, blood vomiting and bloody stool.  He mentioned that COVID-19 can also cause liver disorders due to the nature of its medication. Dr. Sethy claimed that our whole body is one unit. He said that sometimes to cure Gastrointestinal and Liver diseases the doctors prescribe medications for mental illness as mental health can cause damage to lifestyle.
He concluded by saying that the most important precautions for catching any diseases are having a healthy diet, watching over our body weight and exercising regularly.