Natz's Corner

Turning Forty

2012-01-26T08:55:00.000+05:30

So now I am in the 'Golden Decade' as a friend puts it! Forty years...what's changed in life? A lot, maybe. Or maybe nothing at all.

I have more friends than I had in my twenties. And a lot more acquaintances. In spite of all the dislike for cooking, over the years I have learnt to make good chicken kalimirch and 'wow' peanut butter chocolates...though that's only a recent addition.

All said and done, looking back I realize I have 'grown older' too. I seem to be watching more nonsense on TV than I ever did. I seem to be playing mindless brick breaking games on Facebook and commenting on pictures even when I don't have much to say.

And physically too, age is catching up with me. I think, not once or twice but many times, before deciding to climb the flights to stairs to the fourth floor. I prefer to make a telephone call to a friend in the next block rather than simply walk down to her place.

Wondering ... am I into the fab forties of life or the fat forties of life? :)

Are you depressed? Find out.

2011-10-10T14:05:00.000+05:30

I am mental. Are you?

Today is World Mental Health Day. A report says that around 25% of patients that visit a general physician's office have some form of mental disorder.

At some point in our lives we are all faced with depression, anxiety, stress, fear, and other forms of mental health disorders. How often have we said, "I'm fine" when that's far from the reality? Haven't we curled up in bed and avoided meeting people?

But when do we know when to go meet a psychiatrist? I really don't know...when...do you? I hope you find these freely downloadable ebooks on mental health of some help.

On Top of the World

2011-08-18T20:04:00.000+05:30

We are just back from a trip at Ladakh and I must say it was an amazing experience. Everything was so wonderful.

What was the highlight of the trip? The snowfall at Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world... the beautiful Pangong lake where the last scene of 3-idiots was shot... the snow clad Himalayas... watching the sun shining on the snowy mountains in China... a few minutes with those marmots in the wild... the white sand dunes of Nubra valley... the double humped camels of the cold desert... the smoky mountains at Hunder village... getting down from the car to click pictures in the middle of the Shayok river that flows into Pakistan... picking up pebbles for our drawing room... bargaining in the Tibetian Bazar... the monasteries at Alchi, Hemis, Thiksey, Shey and Diskit... getting lost in the maze-like Leh Palace... overall, a grand experience...would love to do it again someday... despite all the altitude sickness I experienced.

Trash Craft: Photo Frame from Plastic Bag

2011-02-23T00:12:00.001+05:30

I almost forgot to update you on our trash craft project. We were hunting for ideas for our very own trash craft. Sony spoke to some of her friends but they shared ideas that we had already seen in the school exhibition. Finally, we found what we wanted. This was new...at least for Sony and me.

We read about the gum wrapper chains that many people around the world had been making. We read about the bags some people had been making out of chewing gum wrappers. And we came across this website that said that the Guinness World Record holding longest gum wrapper chain is over 19 km long and made only of Wrigley wrappers.

So we decided to first make a gum wrapper chain and then see what we could make out of it. However, none of us in the family had chewed gum recently. So obviously there was not a single gum wrapper to start our project. We decided to use an old and torn plastic bag instead. Oh yes, the humble panni. Like most Indians, I also store a lot of used plastic bags under my mattress. So the first step for us was to choose the one that would be of a more or less uniform color. We chose a black bag with prints in white and red. It was from a saree shop in Bhubaneswar. Don't know why I ever stored it. But it came in really handy that night.

Sony cut small strips from the bag and we folded each piece like we would do a gum wrapper. But soon we realized that the plastic would not hold as strong as a gum wrapper. To give it some support, we decided to cut strips of paper from a magazine and fold the plastic over it. It actually made it strong enough for us to link two strips together. We went on linking strips. I found that I had linked two consecutive strips the wrong way. My chain now had a bend. Without correcting my mistake, I continued and I was left with something that looked like the letter L. That's when Sony came up with the idea of making a photo frame out of the plastic bag chain that we had created.

Here's what our finished product looked like.

As it was pretty late that night by the time we were done, I was in no mood to fish out a photo that we could add there. We called our finished product a 'picture frame' instead. Sony wrote in it "Recycle and Reuse Plastics"!

A couple of days later we made magazine coasters....yes, tea coasters made from old magazines. Will blog about it later. Am kind of sleepy right now. Hope you liked this picture frame.

Trash Craft

2011-01-21T09:21:00.002+05:30

For the last couple of days we have been looking for different ideas for creating treasures out of trash....those 'best out of waste' projects for school!

What are some of the ideas that you can come up with? We need ideas for making crafts out of almost anything that one can find at home... newspapers, magazines, toothbrushes, matchboxes, cardboard boxes, old greeting cards, old sweaters, broken plastics, plastic bags, nails, bolts, old ribbons, clips, old wrapping paper, old notebooks, candy wrappers, anything that you thought you do not need anymore... almost anything that was about to go into your trash bin.

Thanks in advance.

Times of India - Do they proofread it before printing?

2010-12-30T09:50:00.001+05:30

Do they proofread the Times of India before printing? Look at this.

The heading says the max temp is set to fall by 2-3 degrees Celsius in the next two days. Read on and the first paragraph says the temperature is likely to fall by 3-4 degrees Celsius. The last sentence of the article says '.....A fall in temperatures by 3-4 degrees is possible on Thursday,’’ said a Met official.' So where did they get the 2-3 deg range from. How does it matter, you say? Well, probably not too much. The bottom line is that it's gonna be colder in the next two days.

But what would you say of another such 'typo'? Here's a clipping about the mystery behind the Arushi Talwar murder case.

TNN's Dwaipayan Ghosh has been successful in mystifying the murder mystery even more. The chronology put in the insert says:

"May 16, 2008

Aarushi Talwar, daughter of a dentist couple, found dead with her throat slit in the bedroom of her flat in Jalvayu Vihar; domestic help Hemraj Nepali national) suspected "

In the accompanying text, Mr Ghosh points out:

"Sunil Dohere, a doctor, had taken vaginal swabs following Aarushi's murder on May 15, 2008. He reported that the swabs contained a white discharge, suggestive of seminal fluid."

Dr Dohere, what on earth were you doing with Arushi's vaginal swabs on the 15th when she was 'found dead' only on 16th of May, 2008?

What's happening to responsible journalism? Is somebody proofreading the text at the Times office before it goes to print? I love the Times of India and cannot see it going to the dogs.

Microvascular surgery that restores a severed hand

2010-12-29T08:41:00.004+05:30

Last morning's Times of India carried an inspirational article on how doctors in Delhi's Max Healthcare replanted the amputated hand of a worker and saved not only his life but also his hand. The news must have evoked surprise, admiration and wonder in many a reader's mind. I wasn't surprised.

The news article only took me back to the early 90's. I was reminded of my alma mater, SCB Medical College in Cuttack. We were new into the field of medicine. Must have been in the first or second year of MBBS. So it must be either '91 or '92. Mom told me about Pradeep Uncle's son (let's call him 'Mohanty' for I forget his name now). He was in SCB with a severed hand that had been replanted. When I met Mohanty at the hospital room a couple of days later he was already a celebrity.

Mohanty was standing at a roadside stall in a village and having tea when somebody attacked a stranger standing beside him with a barchha (a country-made spear). Reflexly, Mohanty showed his hand to protect the stranger. Mohanty's hand was severed and it fell to the ground. Without losing time, Mohanty and his friend picked up the hand, put it in a plastic bag full of ice and drove on a bike to SCB Medical College, Cuttack. While his friend drove, Mohanty sat as a pillion, bleeding profusely from one limb and holding the severed hand in a bag with the other hand. All through the journey, Mohanty's friend kept talking to him to ensure that he did not fall off the bike unconscious.

That night they reached the gent's hostel of SCB Medical College and banged on Sananta Sahoo's room who was a student there. Sananta rushed and made arrangements for an emergency microvascular surgery. Dr RK Sarangi (my friend, Micky Sarangi's dad) headed the surgery. Dr Sarangi was the head of the Department of Experimental Surgery those days. He and his team successfully replanted Mohanty's hand.

When I saw Mohanty at the hospital, he was able to move his fingers and later I learnt from Pradeep Uncle that he had also regained the feelings and sensations on that hand.

Now, you see, what's there to marvel at the achievement of the doctors at Max Healthcare when nearly 15 to 20 years ago surgeons at SCB could do a similar surgery with far less facilities? The main factor for such surgeries is the time factor. The patient's hand was chopped off at a factory in Mehrauli in Delhi and he was rushed to a 5-star hospital like Max Healthcare. Think of the time in the 90's when there was no mobile phone in Orissa to contact the hospital and keep the operation theatre ready. The patient was carrying his severed hand himself with almost nobody to assist him and yet when he reached SCB in the middle of the night, things could be mobilized to save his hand.

Three cheers for the doctors at SCB Medical College! Proud to be its student.

Cancer Awareness Walk

2010-12-01T17:32:00.003+05:30

On Sunday morning we gathered at the NOIDA stadium for a walk to enhance cancer awareness among people. Here are some pictures from the walk.

There were many cancer winners who accompanied us. Some of them spoke about their experience with cancer. Mrs Nandini Mathur, an active member of the association also sang a Ganesh vandana to commence the walk.

Even on this chilly winter morning, many people had come all the way from Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Moradabad to walk with us for creating mass awareness about cancer. There were students from schools and colleges...corporate honchos...retired government officials...children and women with cancer... all of whom joined hands with us to make this a successful walk. Thank you everybody who got up on a Sunday morning to walk with us.

English supper... Is this the end?

2010-11-24T18:57:00.001+05:30

"Five, sikhs, seyvan..."! They say it's the North Indian way of pronouncing 'seven'. Like the "hole" in your house where you serve tea and "snakes" to your guests!!

Leave alone pronunciation, I wonder where the kids are heading these days. Even in school, they speak in Hindi most of the time. Not that we spoke only in English in the 128 year old Stewart School that is known for its Anglican ways. But at least, the Somalingams and Mr SP Das made sure we wrote proper grammar.

When I was in school, my English teacher Mr Das always insisted that I read the daily newspaper to improve my English. As a school goer I hardly cared about those editorials in the Times of India, which is considered one of the most prestigious news dailies even to this day. I read them only because my teacher had asked me to. But I must admit I learnt a lot in the process. My English certainly improved. It became almost a habit. No morning tea for me! The first thing I do each morning is to sit down and read the Times of India.

Several times I have considered asking my children to read the Times of India to improve their English. But today I wonder would that be a wise thing to do?

This is the first page of today's edition of the Delhi Times.

I looked at the three main headlines here and wondered, "Is this English?" "Teen ka tadka" is definitely not English. "Neta jamming" at least has one of its words in English. "Pls save FTII....". OMG... 'Pls' save the Times of India!

The front page of the main section carried an article on an IAS officer's corrupt behavior. Here's the link to the story. When you read it, you will realize that the last paragraph has a sentence that does not seem to make sense. "Singh himself who sported five mobile phones." Is this a complete sentence that makes some sense?

Move on to the Sports section and there is an article on Sania Mirza's "second comeback". The article is accompanied by a picture of Sania. Here's the picture with its caption.

Sania Mirza with gold-winner Peng Shuai on Tuesday

Did you see Peng Shuai in that picture? I did not. She is not there unless she is an alien that cannot be captured by India's low technology cameras.

What's happening to my favorite newspaper? Is this the newspaper I should recommend to my children?

We Are Family - A Review

2010-09-18T14:54:00.001+05:30

The review of the film We Are Family in an issue of the Outlook magazine made me wonder why the writer did not like the movie. She gave it only a single star rating it as 'Avoidable'. But I simply loved the movie.

In the reviewer's opinion the movie is 'regressive'...simply because of the "you can't be a good woman unless you are a good mom" ideology that she noticed somewhere. C'mon who says the movie is regressive? It is just as progressive as today's India. I guess she would have been happy with a "mera pati sirf mera hai" kind of movie. This movie isn't that and surely it's more real than saying, "We are divorced and I am so glad to meet your girlfriend. She is most welcome into our household". In reality a relationship that's as strong as a marriage does not completely change overnight with a divorce. At least not Indian marriages.

'We Are Family' is what contemporary Indians can identify with. It talks about how urban man-woman relationships work. It is a Hindi remake of the film Stepmom. Let's give Karan Johar some credit for having bought the rights of the movie and openly crediting the story. We have seen too many remakes of Hollywood movies without actually any acknowledgment whatsoever. If somebody is making a remake and actually buying the rights to make such a movie, let's learn to appreciate his move.

The movie is about a doting father (played by Arjun Rampal) who introduces his girlfriend (Kareena) to his ex-wife (Kajol) and their children. It's about the process of accepting a stepmom... from initial denial to rejection to finally accepting the relationship.

The film is set in Australia. The reviewer isn't too amused about this and writes, "It could not have been based in India anyhow. Simply because it's hard to imagine that there would be no support structure and help available to a dying single mom in our country...". Take a breather. What's wrong with having the movie set in another country when we have so many Indians living abroad? There are enough movies that deal with Indians in India. What's wrong with having some movies that talk about the lives of Indians outside India? Even in India, there are single parents who are bringing up their children without any support from others.

"You see, there's practically no one else in this film other than the six members of this silly family...", she writes. Yes, there's practically no one else. But this film revolves round these six characters and each one essays his or her role to near perfection.

Kajol and Kareena play two very strong ladies. Arjun has a smaller role in comparison. Debut director Siddharth Malhotra has been wise enough in choosing Arjun and not SRK (Karan's other lucky charm) to play the role. He probably did not want SRK's star presence to overshadow the deep emotions played by the two leading ladies.

Though Arjun's role is small, he does make an impact. Arjun has always been evolving as an actor. He brings out the emotions very convincingly, playing the role of a 'strong, silent man' who finds himself caught between a woman he now loves and a woman who is the mother of his children.

I simply love the way Siddharth has handled this movie with so much maturity. There is not too much of melodrama. The ex-husband is not portrayed as a evil man who brings home another woman. He is a nice young man who wants his children and his ex-wife to understand and accept his girlfriend. He knows it is going to be tough for the family but he still wants them to know. Obviously, the children do not accept her immediately when they are introduced to her.

Kajol's transformation from a physically healthy woman to a woman who now has to deal with cancer is aptly portrayed. A special mention to the makeup artists for bringing out the transformations gradually and so realistically.

The subtle way the topic has been handled shows Siddharth's mature and clear understanding of the family relationships. The revolting teenager, the caring dad, the over-indulging mother, the career woman who knows what discipline means, the little baby of the house who believes in fairies, the boy who likes his father's girlfriend because she understands his subdued desire to sport gelled hair ... all of them are so real.

I wonder what made the reviewer write such a review. I would love to go watch the movie yet again. Maybe we have different tastes. I wonder how she could label movies as nice as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and We Are Family as orthodox and conventional. Did she have something against Karan Johar? Okay okay...she is entitled to have a different view. If you are wondering whether you should go and watch this one, just go ahead. It's not a big waste of money. It is not a thorough entertainer like 3 Idiots. It's somewhere in middle. Certainly more entertaining than some other movies that make no sense at all.

Whom Do You Sacrifice?

2010-08-21T19:16:00.001+05:30

Sometimes we need to take hasty decisions. What would you do if faced with a similar situation? Click on the link and decide.

Whom Do You Sacrifice?

Publish Post

Breast Cancer Occurs in Men Too

2010-08-03T06:50:00.001+05:30

Source: Hindustan Times, May09, 2010.

Click on the picture to have a better and clearer view.

Hippocrates Oath and the Noble Profession of Medicine

2010-07-26T13:07:00.017+05:30

One of the headlines in Times of India a couple of days back read “Every doctor is bound by the Hippocratic Oath: Panel”. This was in reference to Dr Manocha who had refused to help a dying man and then pleaded that “he was under no obligation to help the injured person as he was a private practitioner and there was no relationship of consumer and service provider between the two.”

Time to think about the Oath. What was there in the oath? What oath had we taken on the first day in the medical college? Did I really remember any of the words? No, I did not remember it word by word. I wonder how many doctors remember the Oath by heart!

I was so excited about having been selected for SCB Medical College, the premier medical college in my state. The excitement was more because of my ‘poor’ performance during the +2 Sc exams. After an 85+ % in the ICSE exam (it was considered a high score those days), I was down to in the sixties range after my plus 2 performance. Mom was upset. Very upset. Even Purna Babu, our neighbour wondered why I scored so low after a good performance in ICSE. I was a teenager who did everything that she felt like. I used to bunk classes and hang out at SnackO with my friends. Instead of attending Science classes, I used to go and attend Arts classes with my schoolmates just to check out their new teacher and trouble her. Studies did not seem to matter at that moment. Just enjoying life was all that seemed to matter. When I showed a decline after the +2 results, dad was not upset like mom was. Probably he knew I got the marks that I had worked for...not more, not less. So when mom shouted at me for my poor performance, dad just called me aside and said, “This is over. Don’t brood over the past. Learn to move ahead. Do well in your pre-medical entrance exam and nobody will ever ask you how much you scored in +2.” He was so right...When I got a good rank in the state level medical entrance, everything else seemed immaterial.

Somewhere I also started believing I had achieved something really great. I started believing that as a doctor I would probably get a lot of respect from my patients and their attendants. On our first day at SCB Medical College we were asked to gather at the auditorium for the welcome speech by the Principal and the Oath taking ceremony. It seemed like a great celebration for us.

With lighted candles in our hands and a lot of dreams in our eyes, over a hundred students in our late teens and early twenties gathered at the college auditorium. We raised our hands and took a pledge. Though today, I do not remember each word of it, it was something like pledging to be good humans and never saying ‘no’ to treat a person who needs our care.

Original Oath borrowed from webpages.scu.edu

Today, years later, I decided to check out the Hippocrates Oath once again. The original version when translated in English reads:

“I swear by Apollo, the healer, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath and agreement:

To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art.

I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.

I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.

But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts.

I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art.

In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves.

All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.

If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.”

Now that makes me wonder – Is it really possible to follow each word of the original Hippocratic Oath today? The modern revised version of the Oath today reads as:

"I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are requires, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help."

Why is the oath administered only on the very first day of medical college? By the time we come out of college, I wonder how many of us actually remember even parts of the oath! Should the oath not be administered once more just before a medical student graduates? What's your opinion?

Happy Doctors' Day

2010-07-01T13:41:00.000+05:30

Today in the 1st of July. It is celebrated as Doctors' Day. So here's wishing all doctors and their patients a Happy Doctors' Day.

This day has been chosen as a mark of remembrance and respect for Bharat Ratna Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, better known as simply Dr BC Roy. 1st of July marks both his birthday and his death anniversary.

Dr BC Roy made immense contribution to the formation of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in 1928. The Medical Council of India was his brain child.

Here's saluting a great doctor and his contributions to making the medical professionals a more organized group.

Happy Doctor's Day again from a doctor who writes.

Medical tests for seniors

2010-06-06T18:36:00.005+05:30

June is commemorated as Seniors Month.
Fifties are the new thirties! You deserve to stay just as fit as Jane Fonda. The need for annual health exams increases with age. Here are a few tests that you may need to go through.

Get your blood pressure checked every year... even if you have always had a normal blood pressure. A high blood pressure can affect your heart, blood vessels, eyes, brain, and kidneys. A regular check can help detect early changes of BP.

As you grow older, your muscle mass will be replaced by fat. Also your body's metabolism slows down. You will not burn calories as efficiently as you did earlier. Check your weight regularly. Pay attention to any gain in weight. Obesity has been linked with several disorders such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and also certain caners.

Men 45 years of age and older and women 55 years of age and older are at higher risk of heart disease. Monitor your blood cholesterol levels. It will help identify the need for treatment and reduce the risk.

Get your blood sugar levels tested at three years interval to detect diabetes before any significant complications develop. If you are at high risk of diabetes, start getting screened in your thirties. Some of the factors that increase your risk include obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, inactivity and a a family history of diabetes.

Nearly 30% of those above 60 years of age have some hearing loss. So get your hearing tested once every three years.

Most fractures in people who are 45 years of age or more are due to osteoporosis or porous bones. It is a good idea for postmenopausal women who have a fracture to get a bone densitometry test done. Women who have been on hormone replacement therapy for a prolonged period also need to be screened for osteoporosis.

Cancer Screening
The risk for most cancers increases with age.

Women who are fifty or more need an annual mammography to detect breast lumps at the earliest. A mammogram can detect a lump much before you can feel it with your fingers.
In your twenties, get a Pap Smear test done every two years. When you are thirty or more, if you have had 3 consecutive negative tests and no abnormal history, it is okay to get re-screened once every three years. You can stop the tests at 65 or 70 if you have had no abnormal Pap test in the last 10 years.
If you are a male with a family history, start getting tested for prostate cancer at forty-five.

How about scheduling a visit to the doctor during your birth month? Gift yourself a healthy life.

What's so 'khaas' about 'aam'?

2010-05-18T13:21:00.004+05:30

The botanical name Mangifera indica holds testimony to its Indian origin. In Hindi it's called aam...meaning 'common' or 'ordinary'. And yet this ordinary fruit holds a special place in our lives. Aam or mango is the fruit of kings and the king of fruits. What's so khaas (special or noble) about aam?

What does a mango taste like?

This is what I found on the Internet when I set out to look for an apt answer to this question.

"There are many different varieties of mango available, so no one answer will describe all of them. I would describe it as a cross between a nectarine, an orange and a pineapple. Its sweeter than a nectarine (when at its prime ripeness), but not as sharp as the orange.

Dried mangoes are also just as delicious as other dried fruits and I enjoy them a lot.

It is good to sample a mango at varying stages of ripeness, as I like them when they just start to turn, while my mom (the other mango fan in the family) likes them at the end stage of their ripeness, a stage she refers to as 'drained'."

If you have never tasted a mango, try it out and I am sure you will simply love it. Some love it when it is green, raw and has a tangy sour taste. Others love the rich, yellow, succulent and sweet ripe stage.

It's not just the taste of this noble fruit that makes it the king of fruits. It's also the
health benefits associated with it.

Mango is rich in nutrients. It contains a lot of vitamin C and vitamin A. In fact raw mangoes contain more vitamin C than either half-ripe or ripe mangoes. Raw mango is also a good source of vitamin B1, B2 and niacin. Mangoes also contain traces of vitamins E and K.

Read here about the natural benefits and curative properties of mangoes...both raw and ripe.

What's more... recent research says mangoes help prevent cancers too.

No wonder, therefore, that mango ranks number one in the list of the top 20 superfruits from across the world.

I love diced ripe mango pieces dressed with a large scoop of vanilla icecream. How do you love your mangoes?

A Grammar Challenge

2010-05-07T00:19:00.001+05:30

Grammar Girl Quizgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

First Aid for Nose Bleeds

2010-04-25T10:14:00.000+05:30

So there’s blood flowing out of your nose and you don’t know what to do? There’s been no injury, why did you bleed? What’s gone wrong? Is it a brain haemorrhage? Oh my God, are you gonna collapse now?

Relax! Nosebleeds are common in this dry weather. Seven year old Ahren has been bleeding from the nose quite often during the last couple of weeks. It’s a common thing in Delhi’s hot summers. So first of all, relax and stay calm. The dry heat results in drying and other changes in the nose that make it more susceptible to bleeding. Other factors that predispose a person to nosebleeds include:

·         Infections
·         Injury (even the slightest amount...as self-induced by nose picking)
·         Allergic inflammation of the nose
·         High blood pressure
·         Use of some blood thinning medicines
·         Less commonly, tumors or inherited bleeding disorder

Okay...okay...so it most probably is not a serious concern....But what does one do when the nose bleeds?

First and foremost...relax...don’t panic.

Teach your little one to do this the moment he notices a nose bleed. This is the most effective first aid for a common nosebleed.

·         Pinch the soft parts of your nose together between your thumb and your index finger.
·         Press against the bones of your face.
·         Lean forward slightly with your head tilted. This prevents blood from entering your sinuses and throat.
·         Hold the nose pinched for five minutes. Repeat till the bleeding stops.
·         Do not lie down or put your head between your legs. Sit up quietly for a while.
·         Wrap an ice cube in a towel/hanky and apply to the nose and cheeks.

So, you see...It’s so easy a first aid that your child will love knowing how to care of himself. Ahren now knows what to do if his nose bleeds. And he is proud of it. He just informs me his nose bled but does not panic anymore. He knows a simple pinch can do wonders.

If you must, then use a hypotonic saline drop (available with your chemist) to keep the nostrils wet and avoid dryness. At home or in school, teach your child to wash his face often and dampen his nostrils to keep them from drying.

Google takes action...Or does it?

2010-04-01T20:28:00.000+05:30

Some time back I blogged about a case where my article was being plagiarized by another blogger. I spoke about how the Writers' Guild at Orkut was helping me fight this out, how they had written to Google on my behalf and were posting comments requesting the blogger to either remove the post or accredit it to the right author (that's me).

Today, I checked the link again and found that not just that particular post but the entire blog had been removed. I have been wondering if this was due to action taken by Google or because of the repeated requests by members of the Writers' Guild. I am thankful to everybody at the Writers' Guild who took up my cause and fought for it as if it was their own problem. Thanks all!

Wake up and realize that plagiarism is a serious issue in the writing world. A great writing career can be doomed by just one case of plagiarism. Remember the partly plagiarized How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life by Kaavya Vishwanathan?

Medical Writing in India - Who is Responsible for its Present State?

2010-03-24T16:45:00.002+05:30

"I work as a medical writer for a pharmaceutical company that is trying offshore medical writing in India.

This experiment is not going well. Only the simplest of documents are being prepared there. For early drafts, quality is poor. They are completed with a lot of hand holding and rewriting from experienced writers. Deadlines are missed frequently."

This was posted by an anonymous writer in reply to my assurance in 2007 that one can "count on the accuracy of content when it comes from India". Since then I have been trying to figure out why Indian writers are not asking to be paid equivalent to their global counterparts when they take up projects outsourced from US or UK. Why are we happy with USD 50-60/hr when an MD in US can ask for almost three times that amount and still bag the project? Is our quality really so bad? I could not agree to that simply because I have always had my international clients in UK and Singapore coming back with more projects. Maybe companies that outsource to India haven't had the opportunity to work with good writers, I told myself. There are many good writers in India. I can vouch for it since I have had the opportunity to work with some very good Indian writers.

This week some incidents unfolded a harsh truth. Medical Writing in India has a long way to go in order to match up to international standards. A company of good repute contacted me since they wanted to outsource some writing to freelance writers. The CEO first got in touch with me through a business network and put me across to the Head of Operations. I had taken a break from work for a couple of months due to some personal reasons and was waiting to get back to action again from April onwards. Had been missing my writing.

Going by Indian standards, the life science communication firm was offering me a good pay for the project... Rs 1000 a page. And there was not too much of literature search involved. It seemed like an easy project to take up. The deadlines were pretty comfortable. It wasn't an interesting project, though...basically just rewriting some stuff in your own words. That's what it seemed like. And I thought I would probably ask some of the junior writers in my network to do it.

After I went through the sample issue they had sent, I decided I wasn't accepting the assignment. The very title of the rewritten review article was lifted word by word from the original review article published in a 2009 journal. Yes, the source was mentioned. But that still amounts to plagiarism. The Introduction section of the very first article read "Recent studies have show that the prevalence of hypertension is still increasing...". Even my daughter could easily point out the obvious grammatical error. I crosschecked with the original article. The Introduction section here started with "Recent surveys in the United States show that the prevalence of hypertension is still increasing, and ...". Clear-cut plagiarism! As I scrolled down the sample article I found many more such instances. The news articles in the document were simply copied word by word from their original source. Again all the sources were mentioned. Yet, I am not sure one can reprint and circulate news articles from a copyrighted source. If that is acceptable in medical writing, what is the point in offering 1000 INR a page to simply copy and paste some stuff from a freely accessible source on the internet?

I cannot ask my network of writers to do this assignment. They look up to me as a mentor and I cannot ask them to write such documents. Are medical writers in my country aware of their ethical responsibilities as writers? Why are they not being careful about their grammar? Is English the only barrier? Or is it the 'Indian' mindset ... the 'chalta hai' attitude about things around us? Let's change the way things are. Let the world not outsource to us simply because they can pay us less. Let them outsource to India because of the quality we have to offer. Only then can we ask to be paid at par with our global counterparts.

Yellow footed green pigeon

2010-03-07T01:18:00.000+05:30

The kids are through with their annual exams now. Last morning, I woke up Ahren and took him to the balcony "to spend some time with nature", you see. We were really amazed at what we saw.

I spotted a green pigeon. "It must be a parrot,"Ahren said. His dad was working in the adjacent room. We called him over. Even he had never seen a green pigeon before. We clicked a few pictures of the green pigeon. It had yellow feet and a green body...sort of mossy green...not the bright green you see in a parrot. But it was yellowish green on the neck and the breast. Its beak was definitely like that of a pigeon.

This picture came out much better. I framed it with the coconut leaves.

We watched while this pair of green pigeons built their nest on the bougainvillea tree right opposite our balcony. We hope to watch their family growing. Now that Ahren has no school, we may be birdwatching at the balcony quite often.

I had seen gray, black, red and white pigeons and species that had speckles of these colors. But this was the first time we saw a green pigeon. What other colors of pigeons are seen in India, I wonder.

Some random pictures from the breast cancer workshops

2010-02-26T11:40:00.001+05:30

hea

Matchbox Train

2010-02-26T09:35:00.000+05:30

Ahren's being taught the chapter "Means of Transport". So, his project for this week involved making a train out of matchboxes. Here's the final product that he submitted at school this morning.

It took me some time to plan this out but I am quite happy with the results. Sony came up with a nice idea of joining the 'boggies' with thread covered with bits of straw. This allowed the train to move along the curved rail track we had made from match sticks.

After we sat down and made this, Sony has been wondering if we could hold a summer camp in Bhubaneswar this June to teach school children how to create such crafts. Her aim in life is to be an "arts and craft teacher in a school on the moon".

Chocolates – a ‘healthy’ gift this Valentine!

2010-02-15T12:08:00.002+05:30

Happy Valentine’s Day! So did you make someone feel special?

My husband is out of town. But he didn’t fail to surprise me with a Valentine gift – a chocolate black forest cake. Is this the same person who coaxed me into exercising every now and then in order to keep my weight under control? Then, why did he choose a chocolate cake? Should I eat a giant piece of it or control myself and just look on while the kids enjoyed the taste? As I kept thinking like this I was reminded of the many health benefits of chocolate...

Chocolate comes from plants. And it brings with it many of the health benefits of plant foods.

Chocolate as a mood elevator
Ever wondered what’s so magical about chocolate? Why do the tears stop rolling down the moment you hand over a bar of chocolate to the little one? Why does it bring an instant smile on the face of your nagging wife when you hand over a heart shaped box full of chocolates? Have you ever closed your eyes and said ‘Ummm’ after biting into a piece of chocolate? The sheer pleasure of biting into chocolate! What is it in chocolates?

Our brain contains mood lifting hormones, serotonin and phenylethylamine. These substances are found in chocolate too. When we eat chocolate, levels of these two hormones are increased. It leads to a feeling of excitement. Chocolate may or may not be a true aphrodisiac. But it does make one feel better.

Chocolates for a healthy heart
There is evidence that flavonoids, a kind of antioxidants present in cocoa are beneficial for heart health. In addition to its antioxidant properties, flavonoids also help reduce platelet activation which plays a key role in clotting and thrombus formation. They may also affect the relaxation of blood vessels.

But, doesn't chocolate have a lot of fat?
The fat in chocolate comes from cocoa butter. It is composed of equal amounts of oleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid. Oleic acid is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acid also found in olive oil. Both stearic and palmitic acids are saturated fats. Research shows that stearic acid has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol... it neither raises it nor lowers it. Palmitic acid does increase cholesterol but comprises only one third of the total fat content in chocolates.

Look before you grab a chocolate
Before I grab that chocolate candy bar, I must remember that the bar contains ingredients other than cocoa. There is milk, sugar and nuts. Chocolate is still a high calorie, high fat food. To balance the extra calories I get from the chocolate cake, I will need to cut down on the calorie intake from other snacks during the day and I may need to exercise a little harder.

OMG, should I really bother so much?

Shakkar se lo takkar! ....The World Diabetes Day

2009-11-14T10:02:00.001+05:30

Today is the World Diabetes Day.

Would you like 'Equal' or 'Sugarfree' instead of sugar in your tea? Are you diabetic? Did you say 'No'? That's great! You are lucky if you are an Indian and not yet diagnosed with diabetes.

According to the 20th World Diabetes Congress of the International Diabetes Federation, there are about 285 million diabetes cases worldwide...50.8 million of whom are in India. Now that means nearly every fifth diabetic in the world is an Indian.

Till a while ago it was believed that China had the highest number of diabetics. Not any more. China comes second with nearly 43.2 million cases.

I CAN WIN WALK, Nov 8th, 2009

2009-11-09T08:59:00.001+05:30

Early last morning we were in NOIDA walking for a cause... to create cancer awareness...to change the way cancer is perceived by the society. The first I CAN WIN walk was a great success with over 500 participants joining in.

The guests of honor for the morning were Mr Deepak Agarwal, DM of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Dr RK Grover, Director of Delhi State Cancer Institute. Among those who participated were people from Delhi, NOIDA, Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Cuttack, Faridabad and Gurgaon. It was mixed crowd with children as young as 5-6 yrs and even adults in their late 70s. All of us were walking for a common cause.

Sony, my daughter was very enthusiastic. She had made some posters that we carried for the walk. Pictures will be coming in soon. Till then visit us at icanwinassociation.blogspot.com and get to know about our activities.

Cancer Winners

2009-09-14T18:33:00.001+05:30

During my breast cancer awareness campaign I had been looking for data on celebrities who have won over breast cancer. Found quite a few names...Nancy Reagan, Shirley Temple Black, Anastacia, Kate Jackson, Kylie Minogue and several others. But when I looked for Indian celebrities, I found only Priya Tendulkar and Mumtaz. Why? Is the incidence of breast cancer really not very high in India? Are less number of cases reported? Are Indians not too open about their breast cancer diagnosis? Celebrity survivors can help do away with some of the myths women have about breast cancer.

Maybe with Lisa Ray coming out and talking about her multiple myeloma openly, more and more Bollywood celebrities will come up and speak of their cancers and help provide mass awareness about the cause. Looking forward to a major change in the way cancer is perceived by the society.

Online Education...How does one ensure honesty?

2009-08-30T09:26:00.001+05:30

I was reading Diego's recent blog post about online training being more effective than on-site training.

I have a different opinion to share. Online education may/may not be considered effective ONLY if the student actually goes through the content and answers the questions himself. His faring well at the online tests does not deem him to be any better than someone who has taken the course through on-site classroom settings.

Ghostwriting is common with manuscript writing. However, it is really not very uncommon with such online courses. I say that because I have in the past been offered money to ghostwrite a student's assignment that he had to submit online.

I agree such students would fare well at the online test with some help from ghostwriters. But would that mean online training was effective? Perhaps yes, only if the student was honest with his submission. How does one ensure that?

Plagiarism on Blogger

2009-07-27T23:55:00.002+05:30

My article 10 Things you have heard about breast cancer: Myths or facts has been lifted word by word and pasted by a blogger at Our Health. When I saw this I contacted EzineArticles for suggestions. They said I could contact the blogger and ask them to remove it or attribute it to me. Another suggestion they offered was to remove my articles from EzineArticles to stop any more lifting.

I wrote to the Writer's Guild at orkut . The Writers' Guild is a group of freelance writers who try to protect each others' rights and provide support to fellow members. When I wrote to them, I saw an amazing response. People wrote to the blogger on my behalf. When the blogger did not respond, they even wrote to Google to take necessary actions. Google says it has taken some actions. The Writers' Guild was also planning to send a FAX to Google signed by interested members in support of my claim. They planned to sue the blogger.

I am impressed with the way Writers' Guild is functioning.

Now that you have read this blog, one message to you. If you are a blogger do not ever copy and paste anybody else's work without attributing the article to the original writer. You could be sued for it.

Breast Cancer Myth #3

2009-02-01T08:58:00.001+05:30

Women with larger breasts run a higher chance of developing breast cancer.

That's not true. There is no correlation between the breast size and the risk for breast cancer. At least, no concrete proof so far.

There are several studies going on. Some of them seem to suggest that in lean women, the breast size could increase the risk. However, there was no link between bra cup size and breast cancer risk among overweight or obese women.

If you have small breasts, you're not safe. Screening should be for all women, not only for women with larger breasts.

Breast Cancer Myth #2

2008-12-16T15:29:00.001+05:30

Here’s myth no. 2

Breast cancer affects only elderly ladies.

True, the risk of breast cancer increases with age. But there is no age that is immune to breast cancer. One can get it at any age. There are children as young as ten who have been detected with breast cancer.

Remember, you are never too young to get breast cancer. Start doing a monthly self examination right away. Make it a way of life.

New India specific obesity guidelines

2008-11-26T09:37:00.001+05:30

Last evening, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released new India specific guidelines for obesity. And if you thought you were just within the normal range till now, this is news for you. Last night, you became overweight!

According to international guidelines, a body mass index (BMI)below 25 is considered normal. Between 25 and 30, you are overweight. And if you have a BMI over 30, you are obese.

These are the new India specific guidelines,

Normal - BMI <23 Overweight - BMI of 23 to 25 Obese - BMI >25

Are you wondering what your BMI is? Try this BMI calculator.

I have a BMI of 24. I always thought I had a normal weight. But overnight, I turned overweight! Time to burn down the extra calories.

Breast Cancer Myth #1 - Breast cancer affects only women

2008-09-22T12:04:00.001+05:30

During our workshops on early detection of breast cancer, we often meet ladies who harbour certains myths about breast cancer. So I thought of starting this new thread on myths about breast cancer. I hope it will help clear certain myths and misunderstanding many of us seem to have.

Here's the myth no. 1.

Breast cancer affects only women.

That's not true. Even if you are a man, you can get breast cancer.

Breast cancer in men? I must be joking, right? No, I am not.

Surprised? Well, yes, breast cancer does affect men too.

Do men have breasts? Just behind their nipples, even men have breast tissues. It's just that unlike in females, these tissues do not grow and proliferate much after puberty. Simply put - men have smaller breasts than women but they still do have breasts. And having breasts puts them at a risk of breast cancer.

Never heard of a man with breast cancer? That's because men get breast cancers only occasionally. For every 100 women diagnosed with breast cancer, only one man may get breast cancer. That's why you seldom hear of any breast cancer program for men.

Remember Richard Roundtree, the actor who played Mr Shaw in the TV serial 'Desperate Housewives'? He is a breast cancer survivor.

But do Indian men also get breast cancer? Yes, they do. According to a report, a cancer specialist at Ahmedabad says he saw five breast cancer cases in men in a single year.

BSE Workshops in September

2008-09-22T11:41:00.001+05:30

I have been busy with more cancer workshops this September.

There were three different schools where I conducted these workshops this month. Teachers are a group we really need to target. They could probably be the best persons to help us spread the word.

Then there was the workshop at the President's estate. Anita was the main speaker and I was accompanying her. We had no idea how big the President's estate really was. We were to enter through gate no. 35. And oh my God! What a time we had looking for the gate. We started at gate no. 1 and kept going round.

There were close to 200 women who attended the workshop. The ladies were quite a motivated lot. The President's physician was such an active lady. She was a vigilant 'young' lady in her 50s. She promised us that they will be following up with the ladies for early detection of breast cancer. Going by the looks of it, I am sure she will keep her promise. Overall, a good experience for me and Anita.

The BSE workshop at WHO office had to be postponed for a later date.

The next workshop is scheduled for the weekend at Moradabad, UP. This is being organized on behalf of the Indian Cancer Winners Association (ICanWin).

What's keeping me so busy these days?

2008-08-19T19:49:00.000+05:30

I just realised that I had been out of the blogging arena for quite a long long time. So what's keeping me so busy?

March - I was busy with my daughter's exams. Am glad she did well. She got the best all-rounder trophy for the year.

April - Busy trying to wind up several webcontent projects before I could leave on my annual vacation. And as usual, April is always a time when I have loads of medical writing to do.

May & June - Vacation at the coastal state of Orissa. Am glad I chose not to see any patients and to pay more attention to the kids and my family. Being a freelancer means I get my annual break of two months when I can accompany the kids. Very few of my medschool pals can claim they have this privilege.

The kids and I usually spend the two months with our extended family back at home. With absolutely no work during the vacation. However, this year was certainly different. There were a couple of ongoing medical writing projects that I could not stop midway. These were from 2 different clients who have often outsourced their writing to me. I owe a lot of my experience in this field to them. How could I say 'No' to them?

My team took on the work. Thank you, team, for the good work you did! Editing your articles was not a headache at all. Remember the praises we got from the client for some of our projects? I am proud of you.

Other than the editing, there were the BSE workshops for early detection of breast cancer that kept me busy in Orissa. I conducted several workshops in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar this summer. Five of the workshops had to be cancelled because of the flood in Balasore district.

There were several 'firsts' during the workshops at Orissa:

For the first time, they were conducted under the banner of Swaasthya Sanchar (our newly formed organization)
For the first time, the workshops were conducted in Oriya - the local language (till now, it had been only in English or Hindi)
For the first time, we had a collaboration with a cancer hospital (Panda Medical has agreed to conduct mammograms at upto 50% discount for any lady who comes to them with a reference from Swaasthya Sanchar. And this applies for 5 annual mammograms per lady) Now, isn't that wonderful?

July & August - Some more articles to write. Some more BSE workshops to conduct. My daughter's principal wants BSE workshops for each branch of their school this month. And then there's the next plan. We have to move ahead of just BSE workshops. Swaasthya Sanchar needs to come up with something on adolescent health very soon. There has been a great demand for such workshops from most mothers and teachers we have met.

BSE Workshop at CRPF

2008-02-19T10:31:00.001+05:30

Yesterday, we held a BSE workshop at the CRPF complex. I was there at 10:55 for the 11:00 am talk. Dr. Anita was presenting. So I could afford to reach just 5 mins before the talk. But when I do the presentation, I need to be on the spot well ahead of time to check that all the infrastructure is in place, the computer and the projector are working fine and the files open properly.

About 400 women attended the meet at the CRPF complex. What I like about the forces is the kind of discipline they display. At 10:55 a.m., all the ladies had already gathered and were seated. As usual, Anita's talk on BSE was captivating. At the end of the session, a lady was asked to volunteer and speak on the knowledge she had gained from the talk. We were glad that the lady had understood most of it and she demonstrated it on the manequine almost like an expert.

After the workshop, the Commandant took us to her office. We discussed about the stigma attached to the words 'breast cancer' because of which very few women in India want to come forward and talk about it. The Commandant came out with a nice idea. Just as an HIV test is mandatory for men in the forces, she suggests they should make it mandatory to have an annual mammogram for all ladies working in the CRPF, who are above 40 years of age. This will help detect many cases of breast cancer that go undetected till they have spread to other tissues and are difficult to treat. This could help bring down the mortality of breast cancer.

Some Workshops In January

2008-02-11T17:00:00.001+05:30

I have not been blogging for over a month now. Why? Am I planning to quit blogging? No, not at all.

I recently shifted to another apartment. The shifting kept me busy and then for a brief period, I did not have Net access at home. But now, I am back on the broadband. You know how a writer is almost paralyzed without the Internet.

We conducted a few workshops on breast self examination last month. Over 500 women had turned up for one of the talks. And it was a very well managed crowd. Must thank the people for being so very systematic. However, we noticed an alarming trend in these women. Many of the women we met during the meet had some hormonal imbalances. We met at least 5 to 6 women in their late 30s who were lactating even upto 8years after their last child delivery. What could be the cause, we wonder!

Why is there such a hormonal disturbance in this specific group of women? Could it be some environmental factor that is affecting their blood estrogen levels? Any answers?

Breast Self Examination - Article in 'The Hindu'

2007-12-24T09:37:00.001+05:30

If you have read my previous blog on breast cancer and would like to know more about our initiative, here's a link to an article about our group published in 'The Hindu'. You can read the story by clicking here.

http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/10/stories/2007121054380400.htm

By the way, have you started adapting to the new lifestyle change of conducting a BSE every month? This is a nice time to start your BSE. Add it to your list of New Year Resolutions and have a Healthy New Year!

Breast Self Examination for Early Detection of Breast Cancer

2007-12-19T12:14:00.002+05:30

Did you know that each year 80,000 to 90,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected in India? Cancer of the breast is the commonest cancer among women, next only to the cancer of the cervix. Though it may sound weird and unbelievable, breast cancer does occur in men too - though only occasionally.

Unlike the cancer of the cervix, you can easily detect an abnormality in your breasts by just conducting a regular breast self examination. All you need is just 10 minutes of breast self examination (BSE) each month. And you can do it in the privacy of your own home!

Do a BSE regularly each month, if you are above 20 years of age.

No, you cannot prevent breast cancer by doing a BSE each month. What you can do is, help your doctor diagnose it as early as possible so that treatment can be started early and you can lead a better life.

When you catch an abnormal change in your breast, report it immediately to a specialist doctor.

Doesn't cancer occur later in life? Why should you do a BSE at 20 years?

Yes, breast cancer usually occurs in women above 40 years of age. However, recent trends in Delhi show that breast cancer can occur in women in their thirties. Breast cancer can, in fact, occur in any woman above the age of 20 years. So, start doing a BSE right away.

Do you want to know more about how you can do a BSE in the privacy of your home?

Go to http://www.youtube.com/ and search for 'Indian + Breast Self Examination'. You will see a series of videos that guide you on how to do a BSE. See all the 4 parts of this video.

We are in the process of preparing such videos in all regional languages of India in order to create greater awareness about BSE. Very soon these videos will be made available in Hindi, Bhojpuri, Urdu, Arabic, Oriya, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam etc. Our doctors are already working on it.

We are a group of doctors in Delhi who conduct BSE awareness workshops and lectures in various organizations and institutions.

If you are a group of women who would like one of our lady doctors to come and tell you more about Breast Self Examination for Early Detection of Breast Cancer, do get in touch with us.
Even if you are just an individual who has some queries related to breast cancer, do direct them to us. Our doctors would be glad to help you.

Have a healthy life ahead!

Antifertility Effects of Tulsi

2007-12-17T11:21:00.002+05:30

The US FDA says cough and cold medications should not be given to children below 6 years of age. What do mothers do when their child has a cold?

Try homeopathy? I am not aware of the benefits of homeopathy. It seems like mere placebo.

Try natural remedies? Yes, you can try steam inhalation and warm saline gargling for the child.

What about herbal therapies? Do you believe in the benefits of tulsi, ginger, and honey?

Ginger juice in honey can soothe your child's throat. What about tulsi? My grandmom would swear by the benefits of tulsi leaves in treating symptoms of common cold. However, I would never try tulsi for my little daughter.

I had heard about the antifertility effects of tulsi. Today, I have some literature to validate the claim. This is what I found after some Internet search:

"One of the major constituents of the leaves, ursolic acid has been reported to possess antifertility activity in rats and mice. This effect has been attributed to it's antiestrogenic effectwhich may be responsible for arrest of spermatogenesis in males and inhibitory effecton implantation of ovum in females. This constituent may prove to be a promising antifertility agent devoid of side effects."

After reading this, I would never give tulsi to my daughter. Would you? What therapies would you try if your child had a cold and was coughing a lot?

'Rule of 20' to prevent eye strain

2007-12-12T12:40:00.001+05:30

I am letting out a secret.

An ophthalmologist friend of mine once sugggested the 'Rule of 20' to prevent eye strain due to computer usage. Hope it is helpful to you too.

Place the computer monitor at a minimum of 20 inches from your eyes
Keep it at about 20 degrees below your eye level
Every 20 minutes, take a break for 20 seconds
Focus your eyes on a distant object to help your eye muscles to relax
Look out of the window at an object that is at least 20 meters away
Cover your eyes with your palms and count till 20

Do let me know if any of these tips actually relaxed your eyes.

Computers: Boon or a Curse?

2007-12-11T17:47:00.000+05:30

Let’s get talking about how working on computers for prolonged hours can affect your health.

Do you often feel slight discomfort and pain after typing on the keyboard for hours at a stretch? Without your knowledge, the muscles of your fingers are probably getting injured due to repetitive usage. This is called repetitive strain injury (RSI). These inflamed and injured muscles do not really get any time to heal. As it progresses, you may have difficulty holding objects.

If you work for more than 7 hours a day on a computer, it could strain your eyes. You may experience dryness, redness, and itching of the eyes. Some people also complain of headaches or blurring of vision. Moreover, it could also increase the pressure inside your eyeball causing glaucoma.

How many hours do you spend at the computer each day? Do you experience any of these? What do you do avoid eye strain and muscular discomfort?

2007-12-11T14:32:00.000+05:30

Why did I start this blog? Don't know why.

How often am I going blog here? Not sure. But I can try to blog as and when I get the time.

What should this blog be about? Not sure. What would you like to read about? How about something on health and wellness? Will that be of interest to you? Would you like to know about health and medicine? That's what I have been writing about for over 10 years now.

Would you be interested to know how your health is being affected by the many hours you spend on the computer? If you are reading this blog, I am sure you spend many hours each week at your computer. I am guilty of the same. Let's get talking about how computers are affecting our health. Watch out for my next blog on 'Computers: Boon or Curse?'.