Archive for June, 2012

When you can stop hard drugs, you do not want to. When you want to stop, you can’t. Say NO to Drugs… United Nations report 1 million registered & over 5 million unregistered drug abusers in India.

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 is a United Nations annual observance day that stands for the resolve to build up action and support to accomplish the goal of a global society free of drug abuse.

Drug addiction involves drug or psychotropic substance abuse in spite of its damaging psychological, physical and social consequences. Certain hard drugs like heroin and cocaine are highly addictive and ensure swift emotional, psychological or a physical dependence. Remember whatever the reason is – boredom, curiosity, accessibility, for thrill or peer pressure, there is always a better alternative. Drugs do not solve problems. In fact it adds more to your existing problems.

Today’s youth is more prone to drug abuse than ever due to over exposure, easy accessibility and peer pressure. Parents need to come out of the cocoon of ‘my child won’t do anything like that’. Anyone can fall prey to this menace. Know that your child might try out drugs. So you need to know about drug abuse to talk to your child in an informed way. Don’t just shove vague advices like ‘don’t take drugs, it’s bad’. Be frank and tell how it take control of your brain and makes one dependent on them. If your kid understands that you know what you’re talking about, they WILL listen to you.

Street drugs make life worse, not better

Choose a good time to talk, when your child is relaxed, or when the subject comes up during dinner, TV news or simply regular discussions. Or, if they are using drugs, don’t confront them when they’re high on drugs. Being a good friend to your child’s friend’s help as peer pressure is a strong trigger to drug abuse. This is not for any CID-giri but just to make sure that they are not involved in substance abuse. In case you find that your child is using drugs, don’t panic. Yes, it is hard to contemplate. But you need to face it with a cool head if you want to help. Let them know that you’ll be always there.

Newspapers and TV media highlight cases of drug abuse and trafficking from time to time but the problem is huge and but there’s little action. Country’s entire youth is being crippled of life. Only when social awareness peaks will this heinous crime stop hogging the headlines and ruining lives. We have to combat against this menace in unison and everyone has to bear the responsibility to safeguard our future.

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“Indian women most stressed in the world”. According to a survey by Economic Times, an overwhelming 87% of Indian women said they felt stressed most of the time, and 82% had no time to relax.

Societal expectations have normalized women’s stress so much that it is not seen as a problem! The ideal woman is portrayed as one who prepares dinner the moment she enters home, keeps the home spotless, manages kids, keeps a smile on her face and be good in bed even after a hard day in office. Phew, tired already?

Squeeze Your Stress Away..!

And women, burdened with expectations, are on move all day long without knowing that stress has invaded their life and is ruining their health! Women often deny being stressed. They completely ignore their body and mind shrieking ‘HELP!!!’ through mild yet visible symptoms like changes in menstrual patterns, sudden hair loss, dark circles around eyes, mood swings and weight gain. Women’s inability to say no also curtails to deadlines crawling into their mealtimes, relaxation times etc.

Don’t confuse challenge with stress. Overcoming challenges can be motivating, but extreme stress can cause health issues & effect productivity. Work related stress in women can also lead to serious joint & spine problems, skin reactions, depression etc. If not attended to on time, the problem may worsen, leading to health problems like sleeplessness, difficulty to concentrate, high BP, stroke, heart attack, poor immune response, and even cancer!

Let’s think of some ways to bust stress while work. Deep Breathing! Yes, you’ve heard this a lot, but it has several advantages. It oxygenizes blood, which ‘awake’ your brain, relaxes muscles and calms the mind. Do them anywhere, and they de-stress you in a jiffy. Meditation & visualization techniques (like recalling a pleasant memory or imagining about something that makes you happy) take deep breathing a few steps ahead. Also, take short breaks (walks, snacks) in between your work. This is not only relaxing, but also rejuvenates your mind to handle work more efficiently.

Stress will find it difficult to take you over if you’re physically active. Exercise can reduce stress hormones (cortisol) and increase the feel-good hormones (endorphin) that will boost your morale. It also diverts you from taxing situations, while being a channel to vent. And its all possible in your office! Begin by tensing your face muscles in a stiff grimace for 10 seconds. Then relax fully. Repeat the same with neck, and then shoulders, etc. Practice this daily and you will find it easy to relax, reducing strain as fast as it comes! No training or equipment required.

Don’t let stress play havoc with your life. Act now!

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A British study has established that 1 in 3 men tend to neglect bad health in the hope that the ailment will ‘disappear’ over time. This tendency is even glorified as a masculine thing.

As a woman, you must be too familiar with this attitude. Plenty of you are sure to have stories of dragging their spouses for health checks because you alone know how vulnerable men are making themselves by refusing to act on indications of ill health. The rationale of International Men’s Health Week is to increase and reinforce the understanding of preventable health issues and promote early detection and cure of illnesses among men and boys.

Are you aware of top men’s health terrors and their triggers? Well, the list is not shocking and includes commonly referred to diseases such as stroke, heart attack, diabetes, cancer, injuries, AIDS, prostate cancer etc. Triggers to emotional and physical conditions can range from the simplest thing as stress to ignorance towards mild symptoms, sedentary lifestyle, alcoholism, smoking, engaging in casual sex and work pressure.

Prevention is a priority not an option. When was the last time men in your household had a checkup? Skipping checkups is not a way to save cash. What if it leads to something severe simply because they had skipped a medical? Yes, they always insist that they feel fine, but the call for yearly health checks still stands. Some illnesses and conditions don’t even have symptoms, making you more likely to miss an early diagnosis and treatment.

We urge you to keep up with the numbers for BP, sugar level, cholesterol, body mass index, or anything else of the men in your family and keep them informed. Consult a doctor on the kind of tests they should take and how often. The rat race of modern times gives men hardly any time to think, let alone worry about their health. Unfortunately, most men consider it natural being tired and oversleeping on weekends. Can you ensure this is followed in your house?

An urge to sleep throughout the day, recurrent headaches, nervousness, exhaustion, anxiety etc are not signs of a healthy body. In fact, the body is screaming – ‘HELP!!!’ through these symptoms. How do you intend to educate them on this? It is time for men to chuck the traditional linkage of health and masculinity and ASK for & GET help when needed! Do you agree?

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Going green is not about doing away with science and technology. No one wants to go back to the Stone Age.

Even on this 40th World Environment Day, it seems sad that they had to mark a day to prod our consciousness to conserve the biodiversity. World Environment Day 2012 theme is ‘Green Economy: Does it include you’. According to UNEP, Green Economy means improving human welfare and social justice without resorting to mindless plunder of our environment with pollution, carbon emanations etc. After all, environment effects on human health concern each one of you.

Prolonged exposure to vehicle smoke during traffic hours may cause digestive problems, damage to the nervous system, and in some cases cancer. One of the glaring health environment effects! Young women shudder to go outside during day time due to fear of double dose of tan. Umbrellas are not just for rainy seasons. Always wear a scarf/hat and sunglasses before stepping out.

There is a new environmental health hazard to add to those from air & noise pollution; radiation from mobile towers. And oh tobacco lovers, quit this fine service of polluting the air with some 4000 hazardous chemicals and the ground with millions of cigarette butts! Even fruits and vegetables need to be washed thoroughly due to pesticides used on them.

Change the World, Make it Green!

Is it really required to have the air conditioner on, all day? A 2002 British study says that AC is bad for your skin as it takes humidity out of the air & dries out skin. Also, going on foot (at least for short errands) has its merits. No dealing with traffic snarls cum improved health. Here’s a toast to improved women health in world environment day.

Are we being continuously sidelined by authorities and organizations when it comes to environmental protection? Environment day in India is an opportunity for us to get involved, to take a few Green Steps towards a healthy environment and to keep climbing.

Let us join hands with all like-minded individuals and organizations to encourage the environment protection and find ways out of increasing danger to our planet.

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How do we defeat the disparity?

There is a lot of debate surrounding the rising cost of healthcare in India. Do numerous tests, hospital charges, doctor’s fee, costly medications lead to more deaths than the actual disease itself? Is India’s healthcare system inexpensive only to medical tourists and the elites?

Healthcare costs in India have risen due to the introduction of the newest and urbane technologies and equipments. A few decades back, in the absence of these machineries, all the doctor had to do was to check up and prescribe medications. Tests and analysis were done only if the patient was critical. Nowadays doctors recommend a string of complicated tests to reach at the right diagnosis.

According to World Health Organization, 65% of Indian population still doesn’t have access to fundamental medical and healthcare amenities because of high cost.

And medical procedures for certain diseases like cancer, heart diseases etc cost enough to send the patient’s family into bankruptcy. Is it the mushrooming of private sectors and hospitals? Even private organizations are reluctant to be tolerant towards employees with chronic illnesses, as Economic Times declared recently. Okay, let government deal with all that. Let us do a slight digging here. Are there means to make avail healthcare services at reduced costs?

It is automatic to expect the best healthcare services and assume that quality transparency comes with high price. Here lack of awareness about low-priced facilities is the setback. In the recent episode of Amir Khan’s Satyamev Jayte patients are encouraged not to go for expensive treatments for common ailments and also ask the healer to prescribe them generic medicines. Isn’t it surprising that the general public hardly seemed aware of the existence of generic medicines? Can consumer education become a reality?

Even though, the society has concurred to pay more for new medicines and technologies, there is no agreement on who is going to pay for them. A fraction of the answer lies in the growth of employer-funded health promotion programs. Many of you may have just skated over the health benefits offered by your organization thinking that ‘my family and I are healthy, I don’t have to worry about this now’.

Yes, you may not have to worry about healthcare costs if you lead a healthy life- by shedding the worst of the unhealthy lifestyles like smoking, daily fast-food and little physical activities. Fruits and veggies have almost become aliens to our diet. Is it possible to promote and communicate info on government health care services and good lifestyle choices in work places and educational institutions?

If you are uninsured and skeptical of medical insurances, then you are living in risk. An emergency can be as unpredictable as weather, if your family member develops a, say high fever, and has to be treated in emergency ward? Or what if your kid is not treated at all until age five and afterward develops a chronic illness that could have been dealt with much better with primary care? These are indeed worth a thought as there are potential solutions to most of the reasons why health care is overpriced. While a drastic change is not possible without government intervention, little steps we take can take us a long way.

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