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