The Longevity Equation: Sex+Sleep=Long Life

Blue Zones..wondering what they are?.. well they are small geographical pockets inhabited by the world's longest lived populations. Here, they tell me, are the maximum number of people over 90, living in one place!.

Scientists think the key to long life might be garnered by the study of these populations.In fact, an extensive study is ongoing to derteminine how these pockets of populations live as long as they do.

Check out this link to know more...

http://www.aarpmagazine.org/health/longevityquest

Presently, life expectency in India is 62 years.. slightly more in females than males. A study showed that most health related costs in a person's life are in the last few years of his/her life. A huge amount of money is spent with little respite from the persistent suffering. 

The longeviety quest (as the study is called) is currently focussed on a tiny Greek island of Ikaria.

Here, they believe water from the hot springs might help  relieve joint pains/skin problems.Also, low levels of radon have been detected in the region- making scientists question if low levels of radiation might actually repair damaged DNA! And of course,people here susbide on a Mediterraen diet- which is well known for its health benefits. A locally made honey, drawn by bees from the pollen of thyme, has been attributed anti-oxidant and anti-senility activites!

The best part about the island is the character of the people. Although they have volcanic tempers, they supposedly, quickly subside!. They sleep at  midnight, wake up late and take frequent naps in between.  And here is the absolute winner- even people over 90! are sexually active!!

So the logical conclusion that scientists have drawn from the facts is-  SEX+SLEEP=LONG LIFE!!

In short, their analysis has 9 factors which are believed to be the secrets to a long and health life...

1.stop eating when you are about 80% full

2.Eat more veggies, less protein/processed foods

3.drink red wine in moderation!

4.have a sense of purpose in life

5. maintain a spiritual and belief system

6.Work less*** slow down and take vacations

7.make physical movement a vital part of life

8. have a healthy social network- in fact, having at least 2 good friends is suppose to add years to your life

9. make family a priority.

Eleven Men and One Ball

What is it about men and football! This obsession amongst our men folk has baffled me! I used to subscibe to the traditional women's contention- "What fun is it watching 11 grown up men run after 1 ball!!"

That was till last sunday. 

My husband is a complete football fanatic!- that is a gross understatement actually.. in fact i think he is possessed slave of the gods of football! His loyalties are to Arsenal- for me, a nicely named team of red-shirted players with a coach whose name has an umbilical cord like connection to the team name!(Arsene W). 

Anyway, there was this FA cup semifinal on TV this sunday between Arsenal and Chelsea. We have an unspoken and unwritten agreement when it comes to football matches- he gets to watch all his Arsenal matches at whatever times without a fight for the remote as long as I get to watch whatever I want at othertimes. But this sunday i wasn't exactly happy about surrendering my powers on the remote. Still a promise made, is a promise kept. So i sat there, rather gruppily, slouched on the sofa.. forced into watching the match, for i had nothing else to do. 

Now i have never actually watched a football match from start to finish.. But this time, i was hooked!.. the match was actually captivating especially if have a side to support. It was a duel betwen the strengths of opponents- a test of power and mindplay. The emotions were palpable.One moment, you would cheer for your player when he nears the goal to shoot and the next moment, raise your hands up over a missed oppurtunity. What more, you never have comercials interuppting the play session! like in cricket! Also the commentary is fast-paced, not the usual small talk they make like in cricket.

My husband quickly filled me in on the rules of the game as it rolled on- and come to think of it, when you actually understand the sport, it makes great entertainment!.I guess, i was always in the dark about football, since women don't exactly "play" football in school/college..its regarded as a male sport for the most part. Unlike tennis/hockey/badminton.. women really haven't percolated into football in a big way- part of the reason that women turn their noses up at their partners wanting to catch the match!

Anyway, Arsenal lost the match 1-2, despite my husband swearing by his lucky Arsenal jersey and dribbling an imaginery ball  with his feet, like his gods on TV! But the larger point- it was a great fight to watch.. although Arsenal seemed sloppy at some point.

And for my final message- for all women folk- watch football!..its definitely more entertaining than those ridiculous soap operas or staged reality shows!..In fact Football Rocks!

SOS from Medicos.. Is anybody listening???

While talking to a set of young freshly passed out batch of medicos who had just completed their MBBS, i could sense their disillusionment with their choice of a career. While their IT schoolmates were earning lumpsums, they were getting peanuts in terms of salary and had to grind their books overtime now if they were aiming for a post graduate seat.I too went through the same emotions at that stage and so did many of my friends. 

There are many problems with the way medical education is imparted in India. When i ask around my medical friends circles, what they would like to change about medical education, i am flooded with a volley of ideas!. Its a pity, no body up there is listening!

Here are a few interesting ideas from people who had "been there. done that"...

• Many doctors agree that 5and a 1/2 year course (invariably 6!) for MBBS is a waste of time.(Now there is even talk of another year- for a rural posting!). The entire course can be cut short by at least a year- taking off 6 months in 2nd year (Patho/Phrm/MicrB/FM) and another 6months in 3rd year (ENT/Ohpl/SPM). Even the truncated 4 and 1/2 year would drag on for 5 years.. taking the slow rate of admissions to the courses and examination schedules!
• In fact most doctors feel direct MD degree (maybe then the 5 and 1/2 year course is warrented!) is the need of the hour rather than a preliminary MBBS degree. This will reduce the burden on students preparing for MD entrances.
• Diplomas must be abolished and all degrees must be given as Masters only. It will save the poor diploma holder the discrimination he/she will face in the job front.
• After MD medicos must be encouraged to work  and gain in experience rather than slogging it off in college libraries over entrances!. Why don't we have Campus placements in medicine? Hospitals must hire on campus. The salary and perks must be on par with any fresh graduate from a professional stream which is sadly lacking here.
• Personally Im one for rural medical service. But with the pathetic state of health centers in the periphery, I don't think freshly passed out medicos are the best answer to improving health care in rural areas. And making it compulsory for them in order to obtain their degrees, amounts to exploitation! Instead the service should be voluntary with incentives greater than what one can expect in the cities- like a sponsered fellowship program at the end of 2 years of rural service. Also, these facilities must be linked up by telemedicine units to a head hospital where all experts reside- so that speacialized consltation can be availed of when needed.  Needless to say, PHCs (Primary health centers) must be transformed on the lines of well equipped mini-nursing homes!.
• Spealization is a must nowadays with the explosion of information, leaving no single individual a master of the whole of medicine. Specialization courses must be need based- there is no point having umpteen number of seats for say OBG, if the jobs are already saturated. Yes, we have a dismal doctor to population ratio in India, but part of the reason is poor dispersion of healthcare to all areas. And of course, the number of seats per field must be updated on a regular basis.
• Now the biggest hurdle that a medico needs to cross is the entrance exams for getting INTO a post graduate course. Why is this so tough? Because the number of MBBS seats far out number the number of MD seats. So in effect, its a rat race out there!. Well there are 2 solutions for this-1. The logical solution would be to increase the number of post graduate seats within the limits of the need based approach, in propotion to the MBBS seats (because everyone needs to speacialize in medicine in the future!)-this will ensure that everyone gets a post graduate seat but still leaves the rat race open to choices of seat. so the other solution is 2. Scrap the entrances as a whole. Follow a fellowship pattern for speacializtion. Allow the doctor to work in an institute with that speacialization for a minimum period of time .. say 3 years.. and then test is/her acumen at the end of the period both theoretically and practically (includes monitored surgeries!) before awarding him/her the degree. If the institute traing is on par with the degree requirements, the candidate is sure to pass.. if not he/she should be asked to reappear for the test. (no need to regulate the number persons in training for that spealization.
• Do you have any suggestions to improve the medical education in this country? Fill me in!

Debate the Future

Looks like I can get over writing about news and news channels!.. but .. hey!.. for someone sitting at home all day.. thats a major part of my life (read: i have a pathetic life!)..

Anyway.. was watching this debate on TV yesterday.. which had three speakers.. one each from the Congress, Left and BJP. And as expected the debate hardly touched on the core issues and challenges we faced these days. The Congress spokesperson called the BJP a "divisive party that will spread hatred amongst society" and the BJP retaliated by calling the Congress "pseudo secular"! And likewise they traded shots on terrorism and internal security. When BJP brought out  the mumbai attack story.. the congress harped on the Kandahar issue. Needless to say, the Leftist speaker was hardly given any soundbytes!.. expect ocasionally to play third umpire or showcase his neutrality on the issue. 

It depressing to watch quality TV time being wasted away in child-like fights. When are our leaders going to realize that people couldn't care less if Sonia Gandhi is of foreign origins or whether Varun Gandhi's speech tapes were doctored or not or if we have a dual power center in our country's top brass !.. All we want is RESULTS !.. not inflated promises/ harebrain schemes/ nonsencical debates.

Why do our politicians only talk the language of the past? Why don't they talk about the FUTURE? What are their plans for reform of the economy/police force/ electoral process? How do they intend to improve literacy and health status of the population? Why don't we have 2 leaders face off over these issues ? Let us hear what ideas they have to bring about these changes? And they should not get away by making empty schemes that are both impractical and expensive (eg. Rs 2/kg rice). They should be grilled into how they intend to finance their schemes also.

The media for the large part is allowing the politicians to get away with loose talk when it can play a larger role. Even on bigwig media channels debates are centered on absolute bull shit!

I was mildly apeased when Rahul Gandhi in a press conferance brought out this fact- "forget the past. lets talk about the future" he said. But on the same day, his own party spokesperson went on about "we did this-this-this when we were in government, now the BJP when in government did that-that-that.. so since "that" is worse than "this".. congress is right and BJP is all crap... blah blah blah..." God save this nation!

Shoegate Scandals

Other than the dismal state of the economy, the only other thing people are talking about these days is the General Elections. Its a mammoth exercise extending over one whole month. Its already has had its fair share of controversies, highs and lows. 

With 24 X 7 X 365 news channels, hardly anything goes unreported (although some issues get "over reported" and others "under reported"). From the assets (strictly monetary) of the topmost politicians to the issues that interest the poorest of the poor.. news is buzzing with stories, every second. 

One particular trend, that struck me, well.. distrubing yet necessary in some way, was the rise in "shoegate" scandals!. From the home minister to low key leaders, they have all become victims of "shoe slinging". At one public rally, a 60 year old gentleman, got up from the audience to sling his shoe at the candidate addressing the rally! He missed!.. but not the TV camera- they got the entire shot - priceless footage. So bad is the situation that another popular mass leader refused to speak at a rally, until a huge net was erected in front of the dias!

Well, in a way.. politicains are a victim of their own deeds.. and the public is well within its rights to display some outrage- espeacially since other ways to seek redressals in this country are painfully slow- defeating their purpose. I sure hope politicians will wake up to the fact that people want results not promises.  

I was recently talking to a friend about how my partner is never free to go out for a nice holiday.. to which she instantly replied "Maybe you should have a staycation!". "A WHAT?"-I asked her. "Staycations" she promptly informed me were the alternative to expensive holidays in these times of recession, where the family has a vacation in their own city-which invariably is not well visited by the residents of the city in comparision to tourists.

Hmm!..curious to know more such "recession-genic" words.. i did an online search.. and came up with some suprising findings!..

In-sourcing: when workers float through different departments in lieu of temps.

BBR: buy, burn, and return. Buying DVDs or software from a store, burning them, and then returning them for a refund.

Intaxication: euphoria when receiving a tax refund.

Wii bum: a person who has no Wii of their own, so goes over to others' houses largely to play their Wii for free.
 
Sellsumer: a consumer/entrepreneur who hawks insights and ideas to corporations to help sales.
 
TALF’d: Tricked into believing something big is going to happen when it doesn’t.

Ponzimonium: describes the recent spike in mini-Madoffs.
 
Furcation: an unpaid, forced holiday.
 
Shovel-ready: local infrastructure “ready to go” projects waiting for stimulus money.
 
Duppie: a downwordly-mobile urban professional. 
 
Renoviction: when a landlord moves a tenant out during renovations and then jacks up the rent.

Gift A Peace Tree

There are many paths up the Mountain, but the view of the moon from the top is the same.-Old Japanese Proverb

The essence of the saying is with reference to the different religions of the world and the common thread that binds them. I couldn't agree more with this aptly put proverb. 

News, these days underlines the growing intolerance among people for people of different religions/races/castes. Wars of the world have polarised the nations on religious grounds. We now live in fear- wondering when the next terror attack is going to strike us, when the machinery of countries will breakdown in disarray, and when , if ever, our children can enjoy the peace that once lived in our society.

Frankly speaking, it seems like mankind is regressing in his "warring purposes". If wars in history were fought for land and power, wars nowdays are fought for religious dominance!..utterly regressive! especially when the whole concept of religion is a personal preference!

I recently can across an initiative called the "peace tree", that intends to bind people without the "blinding" of religion. Its based on a film where 2 little girls of 2 different religions strive to celebrate each others' festivals. 

They have a interesting website at www.sandalwoodproductions.com/peacetree/

The whole thought process behind this initiative is commendable. They have a peacetree day - celebrated on June 1st- the purpose of which is stated as

"To create a common festival where families and friends from all faiths and races can learn about and celebrate each other’s cultures, traditions and festivals together. The concept of Peace Tree Day is to educate, donate and celebrate diversi

ty."

They even encourage children to make their own "peace tree" and give you loads of suggestions on how to go about doing it at 

http://www.peacetreeday.com/makeapeacetree.htm

I wish we can carry the ideals behind this project to every child on earth. At least, our children will learn to respect diversity as it exsits. 

I also think men and women who divide society on religious grounds should be introduced to this noble concept. For one, may be the next time one of our leaders sprews the "venom of religious intolerance", their should be a mass uprising to "nip it in the bud"..like a campaign to "gift a peacetree".. on the lines of the famous "pink chadi" campaign. Hmm.. thats food for thought! 

Let us embrace the beauty of every culture and faith to create peace in our world.