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Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts

Saturday, April 9, 2016

How to Boost Your ‘Happy Hormones’


After experiencing depression while training to become a physician, I developed an interest in happiness and have studied, and taught, ways to create positivity and joy.
A study published in Psychological Science in 2008 found that certain inherited genes seem to account for 50 percent of our happiness. But even if your natural tendency is to be more down than up, you can make choices that will help you experience a brighter, happier life.
Hormones and neurotransmitters moderate our feelings of well-being, and lifestyle factors affect them. Here are five of the main hormones and neurotransmitters, plus ways to boost them. However, if you feel consistently unhappy, see your doctor.

1. Dopamine

This neurotransmitter drives your brain’s reward system. If you are praised at work for doing a good job, you’ll get a delicious dopamine hit’resulting in feelings of well-being. It also drives pleasure-seeking behaviour. Boost it by setting realistic goals (e.g., tidying your desk or sticking to your workout schedule) and achieving them. And seek out pleasurable healthy activities that have a positive impact on your life.

2. Serotonin

This mood-boosting neurotransmitter was made famous by SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants, which increase the brain’s serotonin levels. The most effective and natural way to boost serotonin is by exercising daily; that’s one reason a brisk walk does wonders for your mood.

3. Oxytocin

Both a neurotransmitter and a hormone, oxytocin is often called ‘the love hormone.’ Researchers from Claremont University in California have done extensive research on its impact on women, linking oxytocin release to life satisfaction levels. It may play a greater role in women’s physiology and happiness compared to men’s. Spending time with loved ones and being kind to others stimulates oxytocin. Don’t you feel good just reading that? Stress blocks the release of oxy­tocin, so manage your stress, too.

4. Estrogen

It helps form serotonin and protects you from irrita­bility and anxiety, keeping your mood steady. Estrogen decreases with menopause, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and extreme exercise can also lower it. The estrogen/progesterone imbalance in perimenopause can also negatively affect mood. Stress management can balance them, since stress hormones, such as cortisol, interfere with the secretion, action and function of the two hormones.

5. Progesterone

This helps you to sleep well and prevents anxiety, irritability and mood swings. Levels drop as women enter perimenopause after age 35 or 40, and this can be accelerated by excess stress and unhealthy foods. Experts such as Dr. Sara Gottfried, author of The Hormone Cure, saytaking care of yourself and eating right is your first defence for balancing hormones before trying hormone replacement therapy, including bioidentical progesterone and estrogen. Talk to your doctor to learn more.

Natural Ways to Boost Your Happy Hormones

‘ Listening to music is a fabulous way to get a hit of dopamine: In a 2011 study published inNature Neuroscience, McGill University researchers reported that listening to music you love (especially if it gives you ‘chills’) creates a boost in feel-good dopamine.
‘ Carbohydrates increase serotonin levels, which partly explains why we crave sweet, starchy foods when we are feeling down. For the best mood boost with the least negative impact, choose healthy, high-fibre sources of carbs such as dense whole-grain bread or quinoa.
‘ Get a boost of oxytocin by doing pleasurable things such as spending time cuddling with your partner, your kids or your pet.
‘ Increase estrogen with stress-relieving activities such as yoga, meditation, taking a hot bath’or whatever works for you.
‘ Keep progesterone levels at optimum levels by eating well and avoiding saturated fat and sugar, getting regular physicals and avoiding stress.
 - BY DR. SUSAN BIALI
This article was originally titled “The chemistry of happiness” in the October 2014 issue of Best Health.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

10 most important things you need to know about Zika virus

The Zika virus (yellow) is strongly suspected of causing birth defects. 
[Science Photo Library]

What is Zika virus?
Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted infection related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile virus.
Symptoms are mild and include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).
Just one in five people infected becomes ill. Hospitalisation is uncommon and deaths are rare.
How does it spread?
Zika is primarily spread through the bite of an infected Aedes species of mosquito.
Pregnant women can also pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy but how and when this happens is unclear.
Those infected can pass the virus on through a mosquito bite for about seven days after infection.
There are no reports of transmission through breastfeeding, but in a few cases the virus has been reported to have been passed on through blood transfusion and sexual contact.
Where is Zika?
The latest outbreak is in 23 countries in the Carribean, Central America, South America, Mexico and Puerto Rico. 
Past outbreaks have been in Gabon, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Cambodia, Micronesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia. 

How did Zika get to Brazil?
Nothing has been proven but Zika may have been brought to Brazil by participants of the Va’a World Sprint Canoeing World Championships, held in August 2014.
Athletes came from French Polynesia, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands and Easter Island.
It has also been suggested that Zika was brought by Asian tourists attending the 2014 FIFA World Cup, raising concerns that the Olympics, starting in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, will result in further spread of the virus.
How is Zika diagnosed?
A blood or tissue sample from the first week in the infection must be sent to an advanced laboratory.
The virus can be detected through sophisticated molecular testing that seeks out the active virus, which lasts in the body for about a week.
Research is being done to develop a rapid test which could look for antibodies after a patient has recovered from the virus, making it possible to test for immunity.
How is Zika treated?
There is no vaccine or specific medicine currently available and treatment is normally focused on relieving the symptoms.
Can a vaccine be developed?
In theory a vaccine is possible but development testing and trials for human vaccines normally take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
A number of companies, including Inovio, Hawaii Biotech, GSK and Sanofi are developing or considering working on a vaccine. 
Last year Sanofi received approval for the world’s first dengue vaccine.
Dengue is closely related to Zika but Sanofi is cautious about whether it could be adapted.
“There are too many unknowns about Zika to reliably judge the ability to research and develop a vaccine effectively at this time,” it said in a statement.
What is microcephaly and how is it linked?
Microcephaly is a birth defect characterised by incomplete brain development and an unusually small head.
It is a life-long condition with no cure or standard of treatment, and is linked with conditions such as seizures, developmental delays and intellectual problems.
Microcephaly is normally uncommon. In the US, there are typically between two and 12 cases per 10,000 newborns. 
The condition is being reported in the worst Zika-affected areas in Brazil at dramatically higher rates: 100 cases for every 10,000, or 1 percent of births.
Research from Brazil has suggested there is a correlation between the location and timing of this Zika outbreak and the increase in cases of microcephaly, but there is currently no proof that the virus causes the birth defect.
However, Zika virus has been found in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women with the virus and in the placentas and brains of miscarried fetuses with microcephaly. The World Health Organisation's Director-General Dr Margaret Chan says a causal link is "strongly suspected".

Why was the potential link between Zika and birth defects not previously observed?
In areas where Zika has been active for decades, such as Central Africa and Asia, most people are infected early in life, so the risk of infection during pregnancy is small.
The population in the Americas has not had exposure to the virus until now.
This means more women are now being exposed to the virus for the first time during pregnancy, possibly increasing the risk of birth defects.
This is why public health officials are telling women to avoid getting pregnant, at least until they have had the virus, or Zika has been brought under control.
Can GM mosquitos stop the virus?

British biotech company Oxitec has produced genetically modified Aedes aegyptimosquitoes by introduing two genes into its DNA.
One of them makes its eggs glow under UV light, helping with identification.
The other causes ithe mosquito's offspring to die.
Oxitec says that by releasing the GM mosquitos into infected areas populations of Aedes aegypti can be reduced by more than 80 percent, thereby reducing transmission of Zika.
Oxitec says there is no way the mosquitos' modified DNA can transfer into humans or other mammals and insects, but public fears over genetic modification mean the technique is controversial.
Source: Al Jazeera

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Earth Day 2014 - Facts

Earth Day 2014 - Facts



Saturday, December 22, 2012

Top Ten Most Polluted Places in the World, 2012

Top Ten Most Polluted Places in the World, 2012

This Top Ten list was compiled by the Technical Advisory Board of the Blacksmith Institute, an environmental NGO based in New York. The criteria used in ranking include the size of the affected population, the severity of the toxins involved, and reliable evidence of health problems associated with the pollution.

Source: the Blacksmith Institute, 2012. Web: http://www.worstpolluted.org/ .

CountryProblemMain Pollutant ExposurePathway
Linfen, ChinaAir PollutionCoal dust, fly ash, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and arsenicInhalation
Bhopal, IndiaIndustrial ChemicalsIsocyanate gas, pesticide productionIngestion of contaminated groundwater
Central Kalimantan province, IndonesiaArtisanal Gold MiningMercuryInhalation of airborne vapors
Kasargod, IndiaPesticideEndosulfanInhalation, ingestion
Dzerhinsk, RussiaChemical weapons manufactureChemical wasteIngestion of contaminated groundwater
Sumgayit, AzerbaijanIndustrial and Agricultural Chemical ProductionOrganic chemicalsInhalation of airborne vapors
Tianying, ChinaContaminated Surface WaterLeadInhalation, ingestion
Sukinda, IndiaMetals Processing and MiningHexavalent chromiumInhalation, ingestion
Chernobyl, UkraineRadiationRadioactive wasteIngestion
Arctic CanadaOrganic chemical accumulationPersistent organic pollutants (POPs)Ingestion

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Ten Truth about Blood transfusion - World Blood Donor Day 2012




1. Blood transfusion saves lives and improves health.
However, many patients requiring transfusion do not have timely access to safe blood. Every country needs to ensure that blood supplies are sufficient and free from HIV, hepatitis viruses and other infections that can be transmitted through unsafe transfusion.

2. Transfusions are used to support various treatments.
In high-income countries, transfusion is most commonly used to support advanced medical treatment and complex surgeries like open-heart surgery and advance trauma care. In low- and middle-income countries it is used often for management of pregnancy-related complications, childhood malaria complicated by severe anaemia and trauma-related injuries.

3. An adequate supply of safe blood can only be assured through regular donation by voluntary unpaid blood donors.
Adequate supply of safe blood can only be assured through regular donation by voluntary unpaid blood donors, because the prevalence of bloodborne infections is lowest among these donors. It is higher among donors who give blood only as a replacement when it is required for a family and among those who give blood for money or other forms of payment.

4. Voluntary unpaid donors account for 100% of blood supplies in 62 countries.
Since the inception of World Blood Donor Day in 2004, 111 countries have reported an increase in the number of voluntary donations. But in 40 countries, less than 25% of blood supplies come from voluntary unpaid donors.

5. Around 92 million blood donations are collected globally every year.
About 50% of these are donated in low- and middle-income countries where nearly 85% of the world’s population lives. The average blood donation rate is more than 13 times greater in high-income countries than in low-income countries.

6. Collections at blood centres vary according to income group.
About 8000 blood centres in 159 countries report collecting, on an average, 10 000 blood donations per centre (range from 20 to almost 500 000). The average annual collection per blood centre is 30 000 in high-income countries, 7500 in middle-income countries and 3700 in low-income countries.

7. People in high-income countries donate blood more frequently than in low- or middle-income countries.
The median blood donation rate in high-income countries is 36.4 donations per 1000 people. This compares with 11.6 donations per 1000 people in middle-income countries and 2.8 donations in low-income countries.

8. Donated blood should always be screened.
All donated blood should always be screened for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis prior to transfusion. Yet in 39 countries not all donated blood is tested for one or more of these infections. Testing is not reliable in many countries because of staff shortages, poor quality test kits, irregular supplies, or lack of basic laboratory services.

9. A single unit of blood can benefit several patients.
Separating blood into its various components allows a single unit of blood to benefit several patients and provides a patient only the blood component which is needed. About 91% of the blood collected in high-income countries, 72% in middle-income countries and 31% in low-income countries is separated into blood components.

10. Unnecessary transfusions expose patients to needless risk.
Often transfusions are prescribed when simple and safe alternative treatments might be equally effective. As a result such a transfusion may not be necessary. An unnecessary transfusion exposes patients to the needless risk of infections or severe transfusion reactions

From - WHO

Monday, June 11, 2012

Research On The Impact Of Blood Group....



--BLOOD GROUP OBLOOD GROUP A BLOOD GROUP BBLOOD GROUP AB
In a nutshell
Cannot stand people who hide the truth
Pessimistic and too sensitive
Cannot take orders easily
Romantic and sentimental
Basic Behavior
Make objectives clear
Careful about decision-making
Make decisions fast
Extremely practical
Possess great deal of confidence
Make things clear in black and white
Can be flexible
Excellent in analyses
Honest, optimistic and energetic
Care too much about social rules and standards
Do not care about rules
Give fair criticisms
-- --
Respect scientific and practical findings
Cannot decide when it comes to important issues
Tolerance
Strength and endurance depend on their aim
High tolerance for physical or repetitive work
Maintain the longest interest in what they do
Try to be hard-working
Give up easily if they find the job meaningless
Cannot take changes easily
Seem impatient
Tend to be impatient
--
Lose interest in a hobby easily 
Dislike repetitious work--
How do they see their future and past?  Positive about the past, thus do not regret about the pastTry hard to forget the past
Hard to forget recent affairs, but able to forget past and memories
Sentimental about the past
Seek financial stability for the future
Pessimistic about the future
-- More concern about the immediate problems than anything else
How do they express their emotions?
Usually stable and calm
Able to display cool outlook even though angry
Expressive
Sentimental
Sensitive towards sincerity
Short-tempered
Cool and objective
Usually cool and steady, but can get upset with an immediate, unsolved problem
Give frank, direct opinionsTake longer to heal a broken heart
Although joke a lot, could actually be very shy
Can get moody easily
You and your Blood Group!
Sensitive to others' opinions
Change moods like the weather 
--
----
Cannot stop complaining when they are upset
--
 
How do they work?
Ability to concentrate vary from time to time, depending on aim
Perfectionist
Creative and possess new ideas
Able to handle a wide scope of jobs 
Mostly prefer to lead
Handle one thing at a time
Cannot differentiate between work and hobby
Value hard work
Can overlook details
Work a line between work and personal affairs
Cannot take orders
Quick in understanding
--
Highly responsible
Do not hesitate to introduce innovative changes and are not worried about theirs criticisms
Not highly responsible and unable to follow-up on a project until its completion 
--
 
Tend to choose hobbies which help them release stress
--
Tend to be artistic in approach

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

AIDS - Common Myths

AIDS



Common Myths


There are many misunderstandings and misconception about HIV. Check how much you know with our 21 common myths and facts about HIV.



  • Myth: You can’t have a baby if you or your partner is HIV positive.
  • If someone with HIV decides to have a child, there are options available to them to enable them to have a baby without infecting their partner and steps that can be taken to ensure their baby is not HIV positive.
  • Myth: If you get HIV you’ll die soon.
  • Myth: You can tell by looking at someone if they have HIV.
  • Myth: It takes months before you can have a test for find out if you are infected with HIV.
  • Myth: If you have a test you face a long wait to find out the result.
  • Myth: Only gay men get HIV.
  • Myth: HIV is no longer a serious issue in the UK.
  • Myth: I don’t know anyone living with HIV.
  • Myth: My partner would tell me if they had HIV.
  • Myth: I don’t need to worry about HIV anymore because there are really good treatments available.
  • Myth: People with HIV can’t work.
  • Myth: Lots of people come to the UK to get free treatment for HIV
  • Myth: Only old people get HIV.
  • Myth: You can get HIV from someone who spits at you or bites you.
  • Myth: You can get HIV if you stand on a discarded needle.
  • Myth: HIV treatment is free to everyone in the UK who needs it.
  • Myth: It’s very easy for me to catch HIV from someone who is infected.
  • Myth: All young people learn about HIV and how to protect themselves at school.
  • Myth: There are no symptoms of HIV
  • Myth: There is no benefit to getting tested early if you think you have HIV.
  • Myth: My test results won’t be kept confidential.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

For all the bachelors and the ones with a high libido

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Tech Funny









Friday, July 23, 2010

GOD - Does he exist???


A VERY INTERESTING CONVERSATION An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asked one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . .
Professor : You are a Christian, aren't you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, you Believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD Good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn't. How is this GOD good then? Hmm? (Student was silent )
Professor : You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, Young Fella. Is GOD Good?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No. Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . GOD . .. .
Professor : That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor : So who created evil ? (Student did not answer)
Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, who Created them ? (Student had no answer)
Professor : Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you.. Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor : Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM? Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing.. I only have my Faith.
Professor : Yes,Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor : Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor : Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn't. (The Lecture Theatre became very quiet with this turn of events )


Student : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat, a Little Heat or No Heat. But we don't have anything called Cold. We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as Cold. Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat. We cannot Measure Cold. Heat is Energy. Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it. (There was Pin-Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )


Student : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?
Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the Absence of Something You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . . But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it? In reality, Darkness isn't. If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?


Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?


Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality. You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD. You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought. It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing. Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?Professor : If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.


Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shook his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument was going )
Student : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and Cannot even prove that this Process is an On-Going Endeavor, Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir? Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher? (The Class was in Uproar )
Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain? (The Class broke out into Laughter )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . . No one appears to have done so. So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that You have No Brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir? (The Room was Silent..
The Professor stared at the Student, his face unfathomable)
Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student : That is it sir . . . Exactly ! The Link between Man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that Keeps Things Alive and Moving.

NB: That student was Albert Einstein.

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did'
When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. 
'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'
God is just the belief u hav in do this and do not this dats all about god !! 


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