Roundworm Eggs Aid Chinese Students To Look Thin for Job Interviews

Female students in China are said to be eating roundworm eggs in a desperate bid to lose weight and look thin when appearing for job interviews.The eggs hatch in the stomach allowing those who take them to shed pounds without exercising or dieting in Xiamen, China, where employment is hard to come by.Swallowing the worms is extremely dangerous, and it can lead to severe health problems, but with a shortage of jobs, the women are under pressure to appear thin if they are to have any chance of landing a role.Employment stands at 22 percent - and the size of the labour pool has grown by 112 million people over the last decade to more than one billion people. But many students struggle to find work as the world's most populous nation faces big unemployment problems with only 780 million labourers in jobs. However, the work problem is largely confined to rural areas. Jobs in cities are being created quickly as China undergoes a rapid urbanisation. "China is facing huge employment pressures at present and for the foreseeable future," the Daily Mail quoted Yi Chengji, spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security as saying."As China's urbanisation quickens, employment pressures from the many surplus rural labourers are getting bigger and bigger. "Currently there are about 100 million surplus rural workers that need to be transferred (to urban jobs)," he added.
Source-ANI

 

Too Much to Drink? Try Yoga

If the holiday festivities have left you feeling like your body needs a good wringing out, a trip to the yoga studio — or your own yoga mat at home — may be just what the doctor ordered. Whether you choose a gentle, restorative approach or a more vigorous one like Power Yoga, designed for the exceptionally fit, yoga can help to revive a fuzzy mind or aching body and bring relief from that bane of New Year’s Day: the hangover.Though there is no evidence to support claims that yoga will eliminate alcohol’s toxic effects, “we do feel that yoga reduces stress and has health benefits,” said Dr. Debbie L. Cohen, a kidney specialist at the University of Pennsylvania who is studying yoga as an alternative to medication to lower high blood pressure. She cites studies showing that yoga can reduce chronic stress, ease arthritic conditions and improve the quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.“Yoga can make you feel better,” she said. For those who have overindulged in drink, she cautions against choosing a “hot yoga” or “Bikram yoga” class, since the room temperatures — typically 90 degrees or higher — can cause further dehydration. Instead, she recommends trying a “light” yoga routine, with particular emphasis on meditation and breathing exercisees

Susan Orem, a yoga teacher in New York City and the owner of the Heathen Hill yoga retreat in the Catskills, says that a brief 20- to 30-minute yoga sequence that includes sun salutations, along with a few good twists and restorative poses, may well bring relief. It’s important to remain “mindful” on the yoga mat, says Ms. Orem — or Lip, as she is known to all — focusing on your breathing and the poses “without projecting what’s going to happen after or regretting what you did to arrive here in this condition.”She recommends starting with sun salutations, an energetic series of poses that “increase the heart rate, build heat in the body and get the breath flowing in a way that can improve oxygen uptake.” There are several types of sun salutations, including the variation shown in our slide show, above. Individual poses within the salutation sequence include the Upward Salute, Standing Forward Bend, Lunge and Downward-Facing Dog Pose.The use of props like eye pillows, bolsters and blocks can be particularly helpful to anyone with a hangover, along with drinking plenty of water before and after the session. If the head is pounding, Ms. Orem recommends modifying the basic sun salutation by keeping the head raised above the heart during the poses. Raising the head “also prevents it from falling off,” she joked as she demonstrated the sequence recently at Reflections yoga studio in New York City.If moving through a sun salutation proves too much to ask of the intrepid partygoer, these energetic moves can be skipped entirely. Instead, begin with some twists, which are gentler and done sitting on a solid floor. Two twists that Ms. Orem recommends are Bharadvaja’s Twist or a variation of Marichi’s Pose.Twisting poses are beneficial, yoga tradition holds, for what the Indian yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar calls their “squeeze and soak” action — in effect, squeezing the organs like a wet sponge, so that they expel old blood and allow fresh, richly oxygenated blood to take its place. Twists are also said to improve digestion and increase flexibility of the spine, shoulders and hips.Dr. Timothy McCall, a physician and the author of “Yoga as Medicine,” said that the idea that twisting poses cleanse the organs is “pure speculation” from a Western medical standpoint. Still, Dr. McCall, the medical editor of Yoga Journal magazine and a practicing yogi, says that a mindful and varied yoga practice that includes twists could be helpful in easing the symptoms of a hangover.A few restorative poses, restful postures in which the body is typically supported by bolsters or blocks to encourage relaxation, are a great way to complete the sequence. Whereas a classic restorative sequence might involve a 10-minute headstand and 10-minute shoulder stand, “the price you are going to pay for having your head in that position may be too high” for someone with a hangover, Ms. Orem said.As an alternative, she recommends a seated forward bend, such as Bound Angle pose, with the head supported on a block, as well as Child’s Pose, Legs Up the Wall Pose or Corpse Pose.Jessica Handelman, who works and practices yoga at Reflections, agreed that restorative poses, including seated forward bends, helped her ease a hangover. “At least you’re on the ground,” she said.Her colleague Sam Prestidge adds his own advice for getting past the misery: avoid inversions, or poses in which the heart is higher than the head. That rules out poses like shoulder stands, hand stands and head stands. While he says he always feels better after yoga on days when he feels hung over, he adds that getting to class is always the hardest part.All agree that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to yoga, because everyone is different, and what soothes an aching body for one person might not work for another.

By:Kelly Couturier

Courtesy:The New York Times

Patients to Know of Doctors' Sleep Deprived Status Before Elective Surgeries

Doctors in training have to abide by regulations that restrict their hours of working, but no such rules exist for fully trained physicians. An editorial in this week's New England Journal of Medicine argues that sleep-deprived physicians should not be permitted to proceed with an elective surgery without a patient's informed, written consent.According to the authors, "This approach would represent a fundamental shift in the responsibility patients are asked to assume in making decisions about their own care and might prove burdensome to patients and physicians and damaging to the patient-physician relationship." They further write that "this shift may be necessary until institutions take the responsibility for ensuring that patients rarely face such dilemmas." Studies have shown that sleep deprivation impairs psychomotor performance as severely as alcohol intoxication. A 2009 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed a significant increase in the risk of complications in patients who underwent elective daytime surgical procedures performed by attending surgeons who had less than a six-hour opportunity for sleep during a previous on-call night. Further complicating the matter, people who are sleep-deprived are often not able to accurately assess their degree of self-impairment. Surveys have also revealed that the majority of patients undergoing elective surgery would request a different provider if they knew that their surgeon was sleep deprived. "Sleep deprivation affects clinical performance. It increases the risks of complications. And it is clear from survey data that patients would want to be informed if their physician was sleep deprived and that most patients would request a different provider," said Michael Nurok, M.D., Ph.D., an anesthesiologist and intensive care physician at Hospital for Special Surgery who is first author of the editorial. "We think that institutions have a responsibility to minimize the chances that patients are going to be cared for by sleep-deprived clinicians."

Source:MedIndia

In U.P.Nandi gets charge of homeopathy edu dept

U.P.Chief minister Mayawati has allocated the charge of homeopathy education department to Nand Gopal Gupta `Nandi', who has been without a portfolio after being attacked in July. Nandi was a cabinet minister without any portfolio for nearly five months.Nandi, who was minister for institutional finance, had been seriously injured in a bomb explosion on July 12 in which two persons, including a journalist, were killed. As he was hospitalised for nearly two months, his department was given to another minister, Babu Singh Kushwaha. The post for homeopathy education department was vacant following removal of minister of state Rajesh Tripathi, who was dropped after Lokayukt submitted a report against him. 
Source:TNN
 

Homeopathy - witchcraft or credible science?

Just months after the British Medical Association dismissed homeopathy as "witchcraft", researchers at IIT Bombay have done further studies on the subject.For the first time, they have shown the science behind the 200 year old system of medicine.

Homeopathy is "witchcraft", "black magic", all placebo and no science - a serious judgment by the British Medical Association just six months ago on homeopathy.The debate over homeopathy is not new. Some of the criticism is over the quality of compounds - which are heavily diluted with water. The final solution often contains only a millionth of the original ingredient.Researchers in IIT B have found that these white pills work on the principle of nanotechnology.This team of experts at IIT prepared a highly diluted solution of pills and checked them under powerful electron microscopes and found that even after extreme dilutions, the final solution did retain the original compounds.Dr Jayesh R Bellare, professor, chemical engineering IIT Bombay explains, "We have shown for the first time that there is a scientific basis to the material aspect of Homeopathy. Now it is possible for others to take on this and show that there is or there is not, a medical action based on this. And if there is a medical action whether the particles that were originally there and are still there in the final medicine and whether they play a role or not."The medicinal potency of the drugs after dilution still needs to be studied, but the debate does not bother homeopaths.Sudhir Kawal, a homeopath, said, "The study is for skeptics, hopefully this study by an institute like IIT will allay their fears, people who trust in the system keep coming back because they get cured by the medicines."These findings and debates are for scientists, not for common man. Vie been using it for over 60 years and I trust it .It may remain a matter of trust, till the science catches up.

Source:IBNLive

Centre to spend Rs.300 cr on male health workers in 235 high focus districts under NRHM

The Centre will spend over Rs.300 crore on the male healthworkers selected for sub  health centres in 235 high focus districts from thepoint of disease control under  theNational Rural Health Mission (NRHM) during this financial year.The government  approved hiring of more than 53500 male healthworkers for all the Sub  HealthCentres (SHC) in 235 high focus districts from  the point of view of disease control. The total costs for providing  the male health workers on contract would be Rs.385.52 crore per year  and the central government will bear 85per cent, 75 per cent and 65  per cent share in first threeyears, according to the official sources.The infrastructure in the healthcare sector has improved with new constructionof district hospitals  and community centres under NRHM.New construction and upgradation/renovation  were takenup in 433 district hospitals, 2921 Community Health Centres (CHCs) , 4165 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 11856 Health Sub-Centres under the programme during the year of 2010. Besides, 9120 Primary HealthCentres (PHC) have been made functional for 24x7 ascompared to only 1262 in 2005,  according to the annual report of the Ministry.As many as 2394 specialists,  8284 MBBS doctors, 9578 AYUSH doctors, 26734 staff nurses,  53552 ANMs and 18272 other Para-medical staff have been added to  the health system to improvethe services after the introduction of NRHM in 2005. Over 8.33 lakh trained ASHA/community workers havebeen engaged to link the  households with the healthfacility. 5.7 lakh ASHA workers have been trained and  provided with drug kits so far, as per the report.A total number of 29904  Rogi Kalyan Samitis have been registered in the health facilities upto PHC level. (A support of Rs.5 lakh per DH, Rs.1 lakh per CHC andRs.1 lakh per PHC  are given.) As many as 4.98 lakh Village Health and Sanitation Committees (VHSCs) have been constituted and 4.82 lakh joint accounts at the Village Health and Sanitation  Committees andHealth Sub-Centres opened.Under the Janani Suraksh  Yojana (JSY) which is cash transfer scheme topromote institutional delivery, over 100.78 lakh  pregnant mothers were covered in 2009-10 as against only 7.39 lakh in 2005-06. Source:Pharmabiz

Men! Plenty of Sex Can Make You Live Longer

An active sex life is the key to a longer life for men only if they are faithful to their partners, a new research has found. 
Italian medical researchers have found that a healthy sex life means fewer cardiovascular problems for men.
 "What was evident from the research was that men who had active sex lives and were faithful to their partners had fewer cardiovascular complaints and lived longer," the Telegraph quoted Emmanuele Jannini, coordinator of the research, as saying. "Increased sexual activity produces more testosterone, which leads to less depression and a better cardiovascular performance which means an improved metabolism," said Jannini. 
Jannini said the study has revealed that those who were unfaithful had a poor cardiovascular performance because they were "also coping with the increased stress of their infidelity." 
She said that an increased amount of testosterone produced during sex was good for men because it burned off excess sugars and reduced the risk of heart disease. 
"People who have diabetes especially benefit from a healthy sex life and an active sex life also helps avoid prostate problems for men," she added. 
The Italian Society of Sexual Medicine carried out the study.
Source-ANI

 

Important Similarities Seen Between Coma and General Anesthesia

Three neuroscientists have said that the brain under general anesthesia isn't "asleep" as surgery patients are often told -- it is placed into a state that is a reversible coma.They have published an extensive review of general anesthesia, sleep and coma, in the Dec. 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. This insight and others reported in their review article could eventually lead to new approaches to general anesthesia and improved diagnosis and treatment for sleep abnormalities and emergence from coma.The researchers explain that a fully anesthetized brain is much closer to the deeply unconscious low-brain activity seen in coma patients, than to a person asleep. Essentially, general anesthesia is a coma that is drug-induced, and, as a consequence, reversible. The states operate on different time scales -- general anesthesia in minutes to hours, and recovery from coma in hours to months to years, if ever. The study of emergence from general anesthesia and recovery from coma could help to better understand how both processes occur. Understanding that these states have more in common with each other than differences -- that they represent a continuum of activity with common circuit mechanisms being engaged across the different processes of awakening from sleep or emerging from coma or general anesthesia -- "is very exciting, because it gives us new ways to understand each of these states," says study co-author, Dr. Nicholas D. Schiff, a professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College and a neurologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Co-authors of the study are Dr. Emery Brown of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Ralph Lydic from the University of Michigan. 

Source:MedIndia

 

 

 

Aishwarya Rai Mulls Suing Elle Magazine Over 'Skin-Whitening' Scandal

Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is fuming over Elle magazine cover 'skin-whitening' scandal, reveal her pals. 

Fans of the actress were left stunned last week after her skin appeared to have been digitally lightened on the cover of the magazine's new issue.According to friends, the 37-year-old Bollywood star, who is widely believed to be the world's most beautiful woman, is said to be considering suing the Indian version of the title over what has been deemed 'racist airbrushing'. The actress herself has not commented on the situation, but friends of the 'Bride and Prejudice' star have said she is 'furious'. "Aishwarya's first reaction was disbelief," the Daily Mail quoted one of herpal as saying. "She believed that these things don't happen anymore. Not in this day and age when women are recognised for their merit, and not for the colour of their skin. She is currently verifying this skin-whitening allegation. If there is any proof of this, she might even take action," the pal said."She is clearly the global face of the contemporary Indian woman. The last thing she'd want is to have a global image coloured by a racial suggestion," another pal added. Neither Elle magazine or Mrs Bachan were available for comment today. The actress, a former Miss World who is married to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan, is thought to be too preoccupied by her father, who is ill, to look into the matter further.

Source-ANI

 

Alcoholism And Obesity Risks Go Together

Alcoholism and obesity risks go together, it seems. Addiction researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say that the association between a family history of alcoholism and obesity risk is becoming clearer. Both men and women with such a family history were more likely to be obese in 2002 than members of that same high-risk group had been in 1992.“In addiction research, we often look at what we call cross-heritability, which addresses the question of whether the predisposition to one condition also might contribute to other conditions,” says first author Richard A. Grucza, PhD. “For example, alcoholism and drug abuse are cross-heritable. This new study demonstrates a cross-heritability between alcoholism and obesity, but it also says — and this is very important — that some of the risks must be a function of the environment. The environment is what changed between the 1990s and the 2000s. It wasn’t people’s genes.” Obesity in the United States has doubled in recent decades from 15 percent of the population in the late 1970s to 33 percent in 2004. Obese people — those with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more — have an elevated risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. Reporting in the Archives of General Psychiatry, Grucza and his team say individuals with a family history of alcoholism, particularly women, have an elevated obesity risk. In addition, that risk seems to be growing. He speculates that may result from changes in the food we eat and the availability of more foods that interact with the same brain areas as addictive drugs.

Source:MedIndia

World’s First Organ Donor Passes Away

The world’s first organ donor, Ronald Herrick died due to a heart problem at a rehabilitation center in Maine, United States. He was 79 years of age. Herrick became the first ever organ donor on December 23 1954 when he donated one of his kidneys to his identical twin brother, Richard, opening up a new branch in the field of surgery. The transplant allowed Richard to live for eight more years while lead surgeon Dr Joseph Murray went on to win the Nobel Prize.Herrick was 23 years of age when he donated his kidney to his brother and speaking on the 50th anniversary of the transplant, he revealed that he was nervous before the surgery. “It was just one of those things that was kind of out of this world, I thought. It was something that hadn’t been done before, you knew nothing about it. So I thought about it a long time. My stomach was churning many a morning going to school", he said on the National Public Radio in 2004. Herrick is survived by his wife, Cynthia, a sister, Virginia Griffin of Rutland and an older brother Van of Barrington, R.I. 
Source:MedIndia




 

BHU grows different varieties of basil

The ever-growing areas of cultivation of 'tulsi' in the region are also aiding ayurvedic formulations that use parts of the plant. 
As per head, department of Dravyaguna, BHU, KN Dwivedi, each and every part of basil carries immense medicinal and therapeutic value and it can be used in various formulations to treat wide-raging disorders and ailments. Starting from serious ailments like renal, cardiac and respiratory disorders, parts of the plant can be used to cure common cold and fever. Similarly, various formulations and concoctions using parts of 'tulsi' plant like leaves, stems and roots have also proved beneficial in skin and paediatric disorders while the plant remains an important constituent of many ayurvedic cough syrups and expectorants. 
While the herbal garden under the department has already come up with varieties of 'tulsi' plants ranging from the locally grown plants to the wild varieties that are found on the hills and in the deep forests, some of the varieties have been also preserved as potted plants at Malviya Bhawan and were recently displayed to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Pt Madan Mohan Malviya, founder of BHU. 
"The wide-ranging medicinal properties of basil have not only made it a complete herbal plant, but the research activities are also being focused to unveil the hidden mysteries of the plant. As far as ayurveda is concerned, no herb comes even closer to basil that is a versatile medicinal plant in all respects," said Dwivedi.
Source:TNN
 

NEW YEAR WISHES

             नववर्ष आप सभी को मंगलमय हो 
                        हैप्पी न्यू इयर २०११ 
  WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
DR NAVIN CHANDRA JOSHI
EDITOR
AYUSH DARPAN

Economically Hit Americans Eat Less Fruits And Vegetables

Economically hit Americans eat less and less fruits and vegetables, it seems.
The results from a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggest that the frequency of fruits and vegetables consumption would decline by between 10-20 % among the most vulnerable populations such as low-educated individuals.The bureau has sought to utilize information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (1990-2007) to explore the relationship between the risk of unemployment and the consumption of various healthy and unhealthy foods. 

The BRFSS, the largest telephone-based health survey available, has tracked health conditions and risk behaviors for adults 18 years of age and older in the US. The survey is conducted by state health departments in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control.
The sample size is in the region of about 1.25 million. A higher unemployment rate in the respondent’s state of residence is associated with lower levels of consumption of fruits, juice, carrots, green salad, and vegetables.
A higher risk of unemployment is associated with reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased consumption of “unhealthy” foods such as snacks and fast food, the bureau says in its paper. The impact may also be somewhat higher among married individuals and older adults.
The frequency of fruits and vegetables consumption is generally lower among males, with the exception of fruit juice. Healthy food consumption also increases with education, consistent with the hypothesis that educated individuals are more allocatively efficient and tend to choose healthier inputs.

Source:MedIndia
 

 

 

Tasmania may Become World's First 'Smoke-Free' State

Tasmania may soon win the title of the world's first 'smoke-free state' by putting new legislature in place. 
The island state, which already has some of the world's strictest anti-smoking laws, is considering banning tobacco altogether, reports the Independent.The proposal was put forward by councillors in Burnie, in north-western Tasmania, in response to a discussion paper by the state government, which wants to reduce the smoking rate, one of Australia's highest.
Smokers in Tasmania are becoming increasingly marginalised: the state capital, Hobart, banned cigarettes from the city centre four months ago, and the second-biggest city, Launceston, recently decided to do the same.
Other councils are considering following suit, and there are also calls for smoking to be prohibited on the island's beaches.
Civil libertarians have denounced the idea and even health experts question the wisdom of such a drastic step.
But Burnie is standing its ground.
"We just wanted to take that extra step; to show how passionate we are about creating a healthy environment," one local official said.

Source-ANI

 

 

EU To Ban Chinese Herbal Remedies Next Year

The European Union has decided to go ahead with its ban of herbal medicines, a majority of which is manufactured in China. Hundreds of herbal remedies will be banned from sale in Britain next year. From May 1, 2011, traditional herbal medicinal products must be licensed or prescribed by a registered herbal practitioner to comply with a EU directive passed in 2004.The directive, according to The Independent, was introduced in response to rising concern over adverse effects caused by herbal medicines. The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued more than a dozen safety alerts in the past two years. Herbal practitioners say it is impossible for most herbal medicines to meet the licensing requirements for safety and quality, which are intended to be similar to those for pharmaceutical drugs, because of the cost of testing. According to the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), which represents herbal practitioners, not a single product used in traditional Chinese medicine or ayurvedic medicine has been licensed.In Europe, around 200 products from 27 plant species have been licensed but there are 300 plant species in use in the UK alone. The ANH estimates the cost of obtaining a licence at between 80,000 pounds and 120,000 pounds per herb. Under EU law, statutorily regulated herbal practitioners will be permitted to continue prescribing unlicensed products. But the Coalition Government and the previous Labour administration have delayed plans to introduce a statutory herbal practitioner register. 
Source:Medindia

  

Longest Stored Embryo Resulted in Live Birth After 11years

A baby girl born in Britain is a record breaker as she is the longest frozen embryo to result in a live birth after 11 years, 2 months and 5 days.
The embryo had been preserved for more than a decade at the Midland Fertility Services (MFS) in Aldridge, where baby Ryleigh’s parents, Lisa and Adrian Sheperd underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) after Lisa had been diagnosed with endometriosis and polycystic ovaries. Previously the couple had twin daughters in August 1999 after a successful course of IVF and had opted to preserve the remaining 12 fertilized embryos in liquid nitrogen at -196 degree centigrade for a future pregnancy. Generally embryos are retained for 10 years. Every year the couple received a letter from MFS reminding them about the 12 embryos kept in storage. As the 10 years duration was about to end the family had to make a decision on their future and Lisa and Adrian decided to try for another baby.
Lisa said, "When Ryleigh arrived, she looked like both the girls did when they were born 11 years before. It was uncanny. The girls are thrilled to have a sister, and they know that she was conceived at the same time that they were but has been in the freezer." 
Source-Medindia
 
 

Politics resides on our Brain

In a recent study from University College London it has been highlighted that our political leanings are hardwired into our brains. 
The team scanned the brains of 90 students and found that those who had a more pronounced amygdala (a primitive part of the brain associated with emotion) were right wing but those aligned to the left had thicker anterior cingulates (an area associated with anticipation and decision-making)."The amygdala is a part of the brain which is very old and very ancient and thought to be very primitive and to do with the detection of emotions. The right amygdala was larger in those people who described themselves as conservative," the Daily Mail quoted Geraint Rees director of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, as saying.
"It is very significant because it does suggest there is something about political attitudes that are either encoded in our brain structure through our experience or that our brain structure in some way determines or results in our political attitudes," he added.
Colin Firth, who commissioned the study, said, "I took this on as a fairly frivolous exercise: I just decided to find out what was biologically wrong with people who don't agree with me and see what scientists had to say about it and they actually came up with something."
Source-ANI

 

 

President Obama Finally Quits Smoking

US President Barack Obama seems to have kicked his smoking habit once and for all. 
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that the President has done 'extremely well in quitting', and has not smoked in about nine months, reports the Telegraph.He said he has not witnessed any evidence of Obama having a cigarette since March, when doctors advised him after a routine medical examination to give up the habit.
"It was a commitment that I think he made to himself at the end of the health care and with his two daughters in mind," Gibbs told CNN.
He said the President has helped to overcome his habit by chewing Nicorette gum.
During the presidential campaign, Obama vowed to quit smoking. However, since moving into the White House, he admitted there were times when he had 'fallen off the wagon' and smoked an occasional cigarette.
The news that he has not smoked for nine months will come as a relief to the First Lady, who has constantly badgered her husband to give up his reported two-decade habit.
Michelle Obama - a zealous anti-smoker - only supported her husband's presidential campaign on condition that he quit.
Source-ANI
 
 

Private participation sought in promoting ayurveda

Food Processing Industries Minister Subodh Kant Sahay Monday called for increased participation from the private sector in the growth and development of ayurveda as an alternative system of medicine.

Speaking at the Botanicals in Integrated Health Care Convention 2010 in Kolkata, Sahay said: 'We need to fortify the resources for the development of ayurveda and for that purpose private participation is important. Along with the government initiatives private players need to play an active role'.

The three-day international convention, which began Sunday, focuses on bringing ayurveda into mainstream medical practices for its high degree of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The convention is being attended by representatives of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries along with 300 delegates from various fields like conservation, herbal drug industry, marketing, research and development.

Satyanand Nath Jana received the Motivation Award for Cultivation of Medicinal Plants in Memory of Jagadish Chandra Bose. He has been cultivating various rare species of medicinal plants for the past 25 years.

Source:IANS

Your Teeth Could be the Reason for Your Headache

Injury to the temporo-mandinbular joint can cause severe headaches. Decayed teeth could also lead to headaches. Dr. Mukul Dabholkar said, “Dental decay causes loss of ventricular relation (VR) - that is the upper jaw closes over the lower jaw. This over closure causes headache.”The temporo-mandibular joint is a unique joint which works in unison with teeth. The teeth tend to over close in a person who is suffering from temporo-mandibular syndrome. When the numerous muscles present around the jaw dislocate, it leads to anxiety and spasms. This pain persists in all the muscles of mastication.
Usually patients with such syndrome consult ENT specialists or neurologists. But consulting dentists could prove to be helpful. Even physiotherapists could help such patients. 
Source-Medindia
 
 

Stop this :Yoga 2011 calendars depict cats, dogs and nudes performing asanas

Yoga calendars for 2011 are out and many of these feature dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and nude women-men demonstrating various yoga asanas (postures).

 Their names include: Sacred Form Nude Yoga Calendar, The Body as Temple Calendar, Yoga Dogs, Yoga Kittens, Yoga Puppies, Yoga Cats, etc., and some claim to be “inspiring” and “uplifting”. These vary between color and black-white and prices go up to $24 each. Besides English; these wall, boxed and desktop calendars are available in French and other languages, and some even come with multilingual edition.

 Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that yoga was a revered age old tradition and deserves more seriousness and respect. Some of these calendars were kind of distortion of the esteemed practice for mercantile greed and could be upsetting for the serious and genuine seekers and devotees.

 Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy and was highly venerated in Hinduism. It was actually a serious mental and physical discipline by means of which the human-soul (jivatman) united with universal-soul (parmatman).

 Rajan Zed points out that some sages have described yoga as the silencing of all mental transformations, which leads to the total realization of the Supreme Self. Some have used yoga attempting to gain liberation by removing all sensory barriers. According to Patanjali, author of the basic text, the Yoga Sutra, yoga is a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.

 Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Free yoga to unemployed in USA

Due to current high unemployment rates across USA, some yoga studios have reportedly started offering free or discounted yoga classes to the unemployed.

 When the national unemployment rate is around 10 percent, it is believed that yoga will help reduce stress, bring calmness, improve concentration and make the unemployed feel good about themselves. Many such people had stopped going to yoga studios thinking it as a “luxury” in tougher times.

 Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, welcoming the gesture of yoga studios, said that it was a “step in the right direction” and urged other yoga establishments across USA to offer this generosity. Although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, yoga was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all.

 Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that yoga, referred as “a living fossil” whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, was a mental and physical discipline handed down from one guru to next, for everybody to share and benefit from. As yoga was based on an eightfold path to direct the practitioner from awareness of the external world to a focus on the inner, unemployed persons thus would be able to approach the situation in a calmer perspective.

 Studios in New York, Ohio, California, Illinois, etc., which offer such classes, reportedly go by the word given by these unemployed instead of asking for any unemployment proof. Announcement of "Yoga on High" in Columbus (Ohio) about 90-minutes "Free Yoga Classes for the Unemployed" says: “There’s never a better time to take care of yourself and to expand your perspective than when you’ve lost

TASUDMA upset over exclusion of Sidha member in new state Expert Committee

The Tamil Nadu Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani Drugs Manufacturers Association  (TASUDMA) in a memorandum requested the state ministry of health and family  welfare to induct a Siddha practitioner or manufacturer as expert member in the newly constituted Technical Advisory Committee (Expert Committee) for new products endorsement.The government has issued an order (G O (D) No 846/19/8/2010)  constituting an Expert Committee for considering drug license applications for new products endorsement in September. The committee comprised no member from  Siddha community.The Association said even though the Ayush circular K11027/2/2007 mentions only about an Ayurveda expert, in the case of Tamil Nadu if a member from Siddha practitioners is included in the committee, it will be supportive for the growth of the system. Government has formed the expert committee without inducting a member  from TASUDMA or a technical expert from the Centre for Traditional Medicines  and Research (CTMR), Chennai, but included a woman ayurvedic doctor as non-official  member who is neither a formulation expert nor a manufacturer. According to Siddha practitioners and manufacturers, the government could have utilized the expertise of the CTMR had they included a staff of the Centre as member to the expert committee. CTMR has been giving training to the physicians of Indian Medicine on technical and practical sides for decades and conducting so many workshops and  seminars sponsored by Ayush department. But the state health authorities pretended  to be ignorant about these developments in the state. Tamil Nadu is hailed as the hub of Siddha medicines and has a large number of  practitioners of the system and it would be helpful to have Siddha and Unani experts also in the committee, the memorandum of TASUDMA said. Since the committee  requires a lot of manufacturing experts, physicians of both Siddha and Unani with  industrial backgrounds may be able to supplement suggestions to the functioning of the committee. According to the memorandum, Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani drugs, especially proprietary products (Innovative dosage forms and packaging),  have higher acceptance, so the committee can accord fast track licensing based  on the ‘Proof of Concept’ submitted by manufacturing companies as per the suggestion  of Ayush department.The association members said the exclusion of Siddha or Unani or Homeopathydoctors from the expert committee is a big shame to the ISM industry of  Tamil Naduas it has a heritage in the practice of Indian healing systems. With the help of Ayush Department, a cluster for ISM industry is round the corner. TASUDMA and CTMR  have taken the initiative for setting up a cluster in the state. But the ISM commissionerate  did not consider any of their members to the committee. The expert committee comprises six members including the non-official member. Besides the ayurvedic doctor, the five members are from the department only. All these members have no background in manufacturing side or the system’s  technical side, members of Siddha community alleged. Source:Pharmabiz

World's Youngest Yoga Teacher: 6-Year-Old Girl

At just six, Shruti Pandey is the youngest yoga trainer in the world.

The bendy youngster has been teaching adults at an ashram, in northern India, for the last two years.

Her trainer, Hari Chetan, 67, set up the ashram 35 years ago and as soon as little Shruti became one of his students, as a tiny four-year old, he spotted her talents.Now she starts her classes at 5.30am every morning, at Brahmanand Saraswati Dham, in the Jhunsi town, dressed in white leggings and a red t-shirt surrounded by 30 eager pupils ranging from businessmen, teachers, housewives to pensioners.

Shruti said: 'It feels good when people follow my instructions, I feel like a real teacher.  

'I got interested in yoga after seeing my brother do it. I tried picking it up myself but it was too hard. So I asked my parents to send me to yoga classes.'  Her brother, Harsh Kumar, now 11-years-old, made the Limca Book of Records at the tender age of five by learning all 84 yoga positions - but he's never been interested in being a teacher like his sister.

Hari, who Shruti also calls her grandfather, think she's a miracle. 

'She's a fast learner and a perfectionist. She grasps techniques quickly unlike kids her own age, who get bored with something as patience consuming as yoga.

'Within just six months of her training, she surprised everyone by doing the toughest positions with ease and perfection. She's a natural.' Shruti can manage some of yoga's most challenging positions. She can easily hold her entire body on the strength of her little arms and hang her legs right over her head backwards.

One of Shruti's fans, 90-year-old Swami Bhanu, a retired teacher, said: 'The best thing about Shruti is she tries to provide an alternative position for the complicated ones that are difficult for an older person like me to do. She's very patient.'  

Businessman Lokendra Pal Singh, 48, has been attending Shruti's classes for three months and said, 'I have noticed a positive change in my life. I used to be short-tempered, but now I'm able to control my anger to quite an extent and it's all thanks to a little six-year old.'

Source:Mailonline.com


  

Lifestyle Changes May Be Easier If You Know You're Genetic Makeup

A small dose of your genetic information is likely to make you more sensitive towards weight loss and exercise, reveals a new study. 
David Kaufman of the Genetics and Public Policy Centre quizzed 1048 customers who had ordered genome scans.
As many as 34 per cent of respondents said they were being more careful about their diet, 14 per cent said they were doing more exercise, and 16 per cent had changed their medications or dietary supplements.
"I was surprised at the number of people who said they'd made changes already," New Scientist quoted Kaufman, as saying.
However, the responses to genetic information may be out of proportion to its actual predictive value. For most common diseases, the genome scans available now explain relatively little about your future risks.
Even so, if genetic information has a disproportionate effect in getting people to heed advice that they should be following anyway, that could be a strong force for improving public health.
However, Toby Jayaratne, a specialist in health behaviour at the University of Michigan, worries that some people will adopt a fatalistic attitude if told that they have a genetic predisposition to a particular disease, and become less likely to act to improve their health.
Customers of personal genomics firms are typically relatively wealthy and well-educated.
"They tend to be people who are highly motivated health-seekers and science geeks," said Barbara Bernhardt of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, which conducted detailed interviews with 60 volunteers in the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative.

Source:MedIndia

  

Causes of Insulin Resistance

Insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells. These beta cells are scattered throughout the pancreas. Insulin produced from the beta cells is released into the blood stream. Insulin is a vital hormone as it plays different roles within the body. Most of the insulin actions are directed at metabolism level like metabolism of carbohydrates (sugars and starches), lipids (fats) and proteins. Insulin also aids in cell regulation.Insulin resistance (IR) is a condition in which the cells of the body become resistant to the effects of insulin, that is, the normal response to a given amount of insulin is reduced. As a result, higher levels of insulin are needed in order for insulin to have its effects. The resistance is seen with both the body's own insulin (endogenous) and if insulin is given through injection (exogenous).

There are probably several causes of insulin resistance and there is thought to be a strong genetic factor (an inherited component), Some medications also can lead to insulin resistance. In addition, insulin resistance is seen often in the following conditions:

the metabolic syndrome

obesity

pregnancy

infection or severe illness

stress

during steroid use

Type 2 diabetes is the type of diabetes that occurs later in life. Insulin resistance precedes the development of type 2 diabetes, sometimes by years. In individuals who will ultimately develop type 2 diabetes, it is believed that blood glucose and insulin levels are normal for many years; then at some point in time, insulin resistance develops.

Source:MedIndia
  

‘Naturopathy cheaper, more accessible than regular medicine’

Naturopathy is an easily accessible and less expensive system to approach for the people of India, said S Gandhiselvan, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare .

Gandhiselvan was in the city to visit the National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) Pune on Wednesday.

He spoke about the scope of naturopathy along with the conventional medicine.

“A blend of naturopathy and other systems of medicine will be very useful for the treatment of the ailments and improve the public Health.”

Systems such as Naturopathy and Yoga play key roles in the present health scenario and are expanding across the country and abroad,

The NIN, which is celebrating its silver jubilee, on Wednesday announced the construction of a new treatment section building in order to upgrade its treatment facilities. The foundation stone was also laid.

Source:IndianExpress