Labs offer packages to check how you’re coping with bad air

New Delhi: The rise in the pollution levels in Delhi-NCR has opened up the market for a range of products and services like air purifiers, masks, and potted plants that claim to help deal with the crisis.

Now, lab chains like SRL diagnostics are offering ‘pollution test packages’ that claims to check the readiness of one’s body against pollution.

A spokesperson of the laboratory chain said they are offering four packages starting from Rs 1,699.

The basic ‘pollution care’ package conducts tests like glucose fasting, CBC, ESR, Vitamin D, Pulmonary function tests and ECG, whereas the advanced package will include creatinine serum, lipid profile, hs-CRP tests and an advanced allergy screening test as well.

Prolonged exposure to high levels of air pollution is known to increase the risk of ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute lower respiratory infections in children.

The SRL spokesperson said simple tests to assess the vital parameters can help understand how prepared our bodies are to face pollution and added that the tests are ideal for individuals with low immunity, allergies, and respiratory disorders and will guide them if they need any further precautions or treatment.

Another wellness centre based in Gurgaon is offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In this therapy, people are made to breathe pure oxygen in a pressurised room, allowing oxygen to diffuse more effectively in the blood, which repairs the tissue and restores its normal functions.

“Oxygen-rich blood helps fight infections and triggers stem cells that stimulate and sustain healing,” claimed Dr Alok Chopra, medical director, Daivam Wellness. He added that the number of persons seeking the therapy has gone up significantly over the last few days.