The Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) had their kick off meeting of the year, Virtual Health series for the Women’s forum on Sunday 1/10/2021 at 3pm.The event was available on Facebook live and on Zoom. It was organized by the chair Dr. Sapna Aggarwal and co-chair Dr. Monnie Malhotra and ran by the President of IMANE Dr. Dhrumil Shah.

Dr. Monnie Malhotra introduced the speakers.

The first speaker was our local general dentist Dr. Neela Gandhi who received her DMD degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and her BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) degree from University of Manchester. Dr. Gandhi practiced as an associate in Nairobi and also worked as a clinical associate in the Craniofacial Pain Center at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Gandhi is an active member of the American Dental Association, Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) and is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD). She has been representative for Council on Membership, District Chair and Trustee to the MDS Board for the Metropolitan District Dental Society, and received the 2010 William McKenna and 2017 Robert L. Burke, DDS Memorial Volunteer Awards. She has also served as President of a local non- profit organization called United India Association of New England (UIANE) for five years where she has organized cultural events and health fairs to bring all members of the community together.

Her topic was on ORAL HEALTH and how it affects OVERALL HEALTH The condition of your oral health plays a very important role in your overall health, Dr. Gandhi said. More than 90 percent of all systemic (overall) diseases have oral health symptoms. Research shows that poor oral health is a sign of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, premature births, and osteoporosis. By educating you on the association between your oral health and your overall health, you’ll understand that a healthy mouth is connected to a healthier you. She talked about the different life stages and the Healthy Habits, Concerns and Nutrition.

The Importance of Regular oral care and how regular brushing and flossing and visits to the dentist will not only give you a healthier mouth, but will help maintain an overall healthier you.

The second speaker, Dr. Indra Mohindra, a rehabilitative Optometrist, graduated in Optometry in London England, and her Masters in Physiological Optics in USA. She started her academic careering in Pediatric Optometry where she taught in several U.S. universities, finally settling in Boston. In addition to her academic career she pursued her Pediatric Optometry practice which expanded into Rehab Optometry delivering good healthy vision for all ages, in the Boston Metropolitan area. She worked as an associate Optometrist at the M.E.E.I., Rehab Clinic, for over twenty-five years. Dr. Mohindra’s innovative research, in infant vision and infant refraction, in affiliation with vision scientists at M.I.T., resulted in a new technique for refracting infants and non-verbal patients without the use of unpleasant eye drops—now known as The Mohindra Technique, which is taught in all optometry schools all over the world. Her discoveries about the development of infant vision have been published in the journal Science. The author of more than 35 articles published in the scientific and medical literature, Dr. Mohindra has made numerous presentations of her findings nationally and internationally Her interest in eating healthy was sparked early during her Pediatric Clinical teaching when she observed the eating habits of pediatric patients and its possible connection with their unhealthy vision. Upon changing the eating to a healthier food selection of some patients-and noticing improvement in their vision. Then she started to introduce this concept to all age groups, whenever possible, with positive results. Finally, she was guided in her personal healthy food sojourn, by her spiritual teacher, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, nearly twenty-six years back, soon after her bout with her nearly fatal attack of Asthma, which took her to the ICU at Mass General Hospital. She introduced first steps of her food sojourn, influenced by following her spiritual teacher- Sai Baba’s teachings in EXPERIENCING SATHYA SAI BABA published in 2011. Her latest updated versions of eating healthy the SAI WAY was published in 2019 and currently available on Amazon. Even at this age after adopting this healthy way of eating and taking no medications, all her health vitals, according to her physicians are like those of age of early twenties!

Her topic was You are what you eat! Dr. Indra Mohindra through years of treating patients across various age groups, was convinced that “Food as medicine” went a long way in improving the physical, mental and also optical health of people. As she became more aware, her curiosity of Organic foods and understanding its long term benefits increased. She became convinced that “Organic” foods when eaten the right way following simple guidelines of “What-How-When” to eat, is the only attempt at bringing upon a disease-free lifestyle. She became a personal advocate and has since been guiding people through her talks and books. She spoke about her 25-year personal and professional journey of putting her “Awareness to action”, by helping many of her patients and also that helped her recover from severe sickness to health without taking any medicines despite her advancing age. Indeed she is an inspiration for us to adapt to healthy eating and achieving healthy living.

Founded in 1978, Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) is a dynamic organization for medical professionals of Indian origin in the New England area. IMANE organizes and supports numerous professional and social activities for the benefit of our members and the communities they serve.