Happy Deepavali!
Every one is waiting for DIWALI, the festival of lights! The preparations for the celebrations have already begun. Burning crackers, shopping of clothes and home accessories, making reservations for tickets to your home, and many such preparations is keeping everyone busy. All are eagerly waiting for the long weekend this year on Diwali, which will be fun-filled with activities like playing with crackers, receiving and giving gifts, relishing tasty foods, enjoying long waited get-togethers, and in short, a whole lot of fun.
Diwali, the word comes from ‘Deepawali’ – a Sanskrit word meaning ‘Rows of Lights.’ It is celebrated on the amavasya or the no moon day in the Hindu month of Kartik (October – November). Diwali is one of the most charming festivals of India, which is celebrated through out the country. India dazzles on Diwali day as all streets and houses light up with traditional Diwali diyas, candles and strands of small electric bulbs to mark this festival of light. Diwali is supposed to lead us to the light of knowledge from the darkness of ignorance.
So, feast this Diwali with ladoos, barfi, karanji, sankar pali, chakli, shev and churas. Enjoy playing with anar, sursuri, chakris, rockets, snakes and phuljhadis to lighten up the sky on this Diwali. But at the same time remember that ‘Safety is everyone’s responsibility.’ The articles in this issue accentuate on this aspect. So take care of your health and safety, and at the same time, care for others wellbeing also so that everyone celebrates this Diwali happily, healthily and safely! We, at Healthizen.com, wish all our readers ‘A Happy, Healthy and Safe Diwali!’
World Arthritis Day
Arthritis is a disease of the old age…Arthritis does not affect children…Arthritis is found only in women…and many more myths are considered as characteristics of arthritis. But the fact is arthritis sufferers include men and women, kids and adults. Approximately 350 million people worldwide have arthritis. More than half of those with arthritis are below 65 years of age.
To clear these myths, it is important that one is educated enough on the disease. And to create awareness and enlighten on arthritis, the World Arthritis Day is celebrated. It was established first in 1996 by ARI (Arthritis Rheumatism International). And thence, it is being celebrated each year on October 12th which happens to be Monday this year.
Arthritis is one of the most debilitating and painful condition affecting millions people across the world. The theme for World Arthritis Day 2009 is “Let’s Work Together”. The main idea behind this day is…
- To influence public policy makers about the difficulties and problems faced by arthritis patients and the solutions which can be taken to ease the arthritis discomfort in daily life
- To ensure all people with arthritic suffers and their caregivers aware about the vast support network available for their help
- Spread awareness of arthritis and its types in all communities including common public, people suffering from arthritis and even medical professionals
On this day let’s work together to save ourselves and others falling prey to arthritis and also relieve the suffering of those affected by arthritis in whatever way we can. Come this year let’s work together for arthritis and arthritics!
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Every year, half a million women are killed by breast cancer worldwide, which accounts for one percent of all the deaths. Breast cancer is no more a rare disease. It is one the most common form of cancer found in women today and a reason for increased female morbidity and mortality. The only way to treat is an early diagnosis which will come through general education and awareness.
By awareness it means to educate all women to recognize the breast cancer symptoms early for effective treatment, to solve the myths regarding breast cancer, to highlight the importance of breast self examination, timely screening, and to enlighten on breast cancer, its causes, signs and symptoms, stages, investigations, available treatment and preventive measures.
October is also known as Breast Cancer Month. ‘Pink for October’ is an initiative started in August 2006, in which sites all over the world change their templates to include the color pink, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. The 4th Monday of the month is considered as Pink Ribbon day. Pink is the colour to raise awareness on breast cancer. Pink Ribbon Day aims to raise awareness about breast cancer, as well as raise funds towards research, education and patient support programs.
Now is the time to get yourself acquainted with the signs and symptoms of breast cancer to save yourself by catching hold of and fighting this cancer at an early stage. This year acknowledge the pink month to stay in pink of health all your life!
Health = Wealth
How many hours in a day do you exercise? Is your work sedentary in nature? Do you eat your meals on time? Are you fond of junk food? Are you stressed at your work place? How many cigarettes do you smoke? Do you have more than one cup of a coffee a day? Do your parents suffer from any heart disease or diabetes or any other ailment? Did your grand parents expire at an early age? Have you ever experienced any palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness or headache?
…And you thought you were in pink of health. You may be in sound health and look absolutely robust but that doesn’t save you from getting illnesses.
Very often you must have heard someone in your family suffering from a heart disease or undergoing bypass surgery or having diabetes or kidney failure or joint problems or some other health issue. But has this ever made you assess your own health status? Yes, family history is very vital and it can save you from a lot of trouble that diseases bring along
Health is wealth, but have you taken any step to preserve this wealth? So, it is high time to save yourself from diseases for a healthy and wealthy life!
Work with Heart
“I am a 30 year old male working in a reputed firm. I relocated to work here three years back. I work for almost 10 to 12 hours a day. Deadlines have to be met, therefore, one or two meals in a day suffices my appetite. There is enough coffee and tea to fill in for snacks. Homemade food is a dream come true as ready-to eat or fast foods have taken their place long time back. My schedule for the day is so tight that I don’t find time to exercise in morning and in the evening I am so drained that to hit the bed for a good night sleep is all I can think about. I am an occasional smoker, but under stress I smoke at least 10 to 12 (may be more) cigarettes in a day.
Still, I felt normal accept for a few occasional headaches and backaches. But my routine health check up narrated a different story. It reads ‘hypertension with high cholesterol levels.’ When I ask my doctor what this means, he says, “It means you are approaching faster towards a heart attack or may be a stroke.” Now this is not pleasing to my ears as I also have a strong family history for the same, which means I am approaching towards the disease target at double speed.
“What can save me?” was my next question to my doctor to which he replies, “Simple lifestyle changes.”
These simple lifestyle changes means increasing your physical activity (yes, those most averted regular exercise regime), right diet (yes, it means food you mother cooks), giving up on your addictions (yes, it means throwing away your cigarette packets and breaking alcohol bottles). But that is the only solution.
Though these simple tips sound very challenging, I am still ready to take this challenge step by step. I want live a life; I don’t want to be dead when I am still alive. I don’t want to slow down my progression towards heart disease or a stroke but I want to cease that speed for once and all, which I think I will be successful at with a little motivation and a lot of determination.”
How many of you relate yourself to this man’s story? If you do in any ways then even you should initiate these lifestyle changes that will transfer you to a healthy pathway and save you from the diseased one. Work is worship but to work efficiently you need to be physically healthy and mentally sound.
This year the World Heart Day will be observed with the theme ‘Work with Heart’ which emphasizes on how you can take steps towards a healthier workplace which can reduce your risk to several diseases like heart diseases and stroke. The World Heart Day is a day to create public awareness of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and to promote preventive measures. It is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of September.
This year remember this day by introducing healthy habits in your life for a better heart, for a healthier you and for that invincible productivity at your workplace!
‘Diagnosing Dementia: See It Sooner’
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating disease of the nervous system that leads to progressive deterioration of the brain cells. AD is the most common form of dementia among older people, which primarily involves those parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. In AD, the apparently harmless lapses of memory progresses steadily into severe decline of mental abilities. Memory and the thinking ability take a beating and grossly affect the normal life. The progression of the disease differs with every patient. But detecting the disease early can be crucial in effective management of the disease.
As per studies carried out, dementia occurs in every country of the world. Dementia affects 1 in 20 people over the age of 65 and 1 in 5 over the age of 80. Worldwide there are an estimated 30 million people suffering from dementia. By 2050, the number is likely to rise over 100 million. Therefore, it has become essential to raise awareness about dementia and its causes, which include Alzheimer’s disease, and to encourage people to get informed about this important health issue and become proactive. One such effort is the World Alzheimer’s Day.
The World Alzheimer’s Day was launched in 1994 by the Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) and is commemorated every year on 21st September when people from around the world come together to focus on raising awareness on the leading a life with dementia. The theme for this year is ‘Diagnosing Dementia: See It Sooner’. The aim is early identification of the disease so those affected get the treatment they need.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – This is a well known phrase. But we often forget its application in our lives. There may be some diseases which may not have cure. But there are ways to prevent its early onset or to prevent it from progressing further and giving rise to various complications which could make one handicap. We should recognize such preventive measures to save ourselves and people around us from such disabilities. This preventive measure also applies to the cases of dementia and AD.
This year on the World Alzheimer’s Day boost your memory with the signs, symptoms and stages of Alzheimer’s to help all those with failing memory.
Start Your Health Revolution Now!
Now is the era of soft copies – the Soft Copy Age. Electronic data management has made our lives easy. It has saved us from disarray the huge paper work creates. Medical records are crucial to each one of us, and hence, it is high time that we store these vital details safely and securely from where they are retrievable as and when required.
Online health management is one way through which the health care technology is improving patient involvement in the health care process. People are taking on more of a participatory role in their own health care with the advent of several useful online health management tools. One such secure online health platform is Healthizen that enables you to store, track, manage and access the health and lifestyle information 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Healthizen.com is an initiative by VNurture Healthcare Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd which provides health information and services to consumers at the right time, in the right place and the way they want it.
As quoted in the Economic Times, Mr. Anand Anupam (CEO – Healthizen) says, “The problem we identified was that the Indian healthcare landscape is very doctor-centric and patients often take a backseat. To make healthcare more readily accessible, we wanted to form a network of patients, doctors, pharmacists, wellness centres and insurance companies. Since we commenced operations in January 2008, we have achieved two lakh user-uploaded profiles, of which 20,000 have availed of our service in some form or the other.”
At Healthizen, you can register for systematic documentation of your health records. During emergency you can share your records at the click of a button. The interface also allows patients to find a doctor based on location or medical specialty. These online health records help users to keep their medical information organized and up to date. You can also get health alerts as emails or SMS. Alerts are sent 30 minutes before the designated time so that you don’t miss your crucial appointments or prescriptions.
“Healthizen works like a supplement to a doctor’s diagnosis and is an aggregator of one’s health,” mentions Mr. Anupam in the Asian Age. Healthizen has a panel of medical experts. Individuals can refer their profiles to them based on their requirements for getting immediate responses to health and medical queries as also for second opinion. Some services are available for free online. Telephonic diet and lifestyle consultations are also provided with in-house experts as a premium service, wherein users can achieve their health goals through diet and lifestyle planning. You can also purchase personalized diet plan for a better health and a healthy life.
Other services include the Healthizen Power Card, a healthcare loyalty and discount card, which is currently launched only in Mumbai and Pune, is a paid membership card. It allows users to avail themselves of the services of over 350 partners such as hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, gyms and diagnostic labs. Also printed on this card are your emergency contact details, allergies, blood group and other health-related information that are important to your care.
Healthizen website has vast data assemblage on various health and lifestyle topics for its viewers. It also has an interesting recipe section with quick dishes that are easy to rustle up and healthy too. You can also use the available tools to monitor health parameters using the health calculators and health risk assessments.
“Future plans include making the portal accessible through media other than the Internet, such as the mobile,” says Mr. Anupam as cited in the Business Line. And so, you can expect more on e-health from Healthizen in the near future. Till then, get skilled with the existing tools on Healthizen to take a control on your own health!
Sue The Suicide Thoughts
“My life has no meaning. To end it is the best.”
“All miseries, no happiness. What is the use of this life?”
“Once I am out of this world, all will heave sigh of relief.”
“There is no way out of this mess except to kill myself.”
How many times have you got such thoughts? If you haven’t got them anytime, then you are blessed. But most people often get such thoughts. Some are capable of fighting them whereas some aren’t. And those who are not are the one amongst one million people who die by suicide each year. In the last 45 years, suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide and now suicide is one of the three leading causes of death among those aged 15 – 44 years (both genders). Suicide attempts are upto 20 times more frequent than a completed suicide.
Suicide rates among young people have been increasing making them the highest risk group in both the developed and developing countries. Reasons for suicide can be some mental disorder or can be due to socioeconomic, family or individual crisis. Depression, stress, mental illness, loss of loved one, financial crisis, unemployment, academic failure, drug abuse, sexual molestation – are a few to name.
Suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death. And to create awareness, WHO observes 10th September every year as the World Suicide Prevention Day. This day is to encourage commitment of preserving lives and promoting actions to prevent suicides. The theme of World Suicide Day in 2009 is “Suicide Prevention In Different Cultures.” On this day there will be events conducted which will provide an opportunity to remind people that suicide is influenced by cultural, religious, legal, historical, philosophical and traditional factors.
On 10th September, the WHO along with the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and other partners will promote the prevention of suicidal behaviour, provision of adequate treatment and follow-up care for people who attempted suicide as well as responsible reporting of suicides in the media. The IASP in official relations with the WHO believes that suicide prevention should be given greater priority at global, national and local levels incorporating research that has shown suicide is preventable. Also, suicide prevention needs to include a multi-faceted approach that acknowledges the multiple causes of suicidal behaviour so as to be effective. This will involve participation of health and mental health professionals, volunteers, researchers, families and others aggrieved by suicide, as well as central and local governments, education, emergency workers, employers, religious leaders, politicians and the media.
Suicide is a major problem but its prevention is not addressed adequately worldwide. It is considered as taboo in many societies and therefore not discussed openly. The prevention of suicide should be one amongst the priority.
It is well said by Phil Donahue, “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” This solution will not resolve the problem, only you won’t be a part of it any more. If we understand this, then we would resolve the reason behind the temporary problem or find a better a solution by living the God gifted life.
Life is not a bed of roses…all of us know this. But still, life is beautiful. So, honour life and stay alive!
MANaging Health
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What is to be eaten to REMAIN Healthy?
What is the diet that helps IMPROVE Fertility?
What should be done to have A GOOD Sex Life?
Does Smoking AFFECTS other body systems besides respiratory?
How to put an END TO the Hair Loss?
How to GET RID of a Hangover?
These questions are always on the back of my mind. But you often shrug away to answer these.
What is it that keeps you away from having a response for these?
We help you find answers to these enigmatic puzzles.
Everyone wants to know more on health. It is absolutely fine if you are a man and you want to look good. Beauty and good looks are not always associated with women. Even men can look good and stunning and can have lustrous hair and glowing skin. Even men can face the problem of hair loss and would like to have a solution for it. Even men can have problems related to fertility and want to seek measures to combat these problems.
But to seek a solution it is important to identify the problem. Here we have some articles that focus on Men’s Health and hope our male readers find what they want in these articles!
