How To Care For UR Skin During Lockdown
Are you wondering why UR skin is breaking out even during the lockdown? With the world going helter skelter over the COVID-19 pandemic we sometimes forget to tend to ourselves, which can start to reflect on our skin. We expected the lockdown to finally give our skin the break it needed but you feel UR skin’s doing the complete opposite! We might be still getting used to the new norm of tending to our house hold chores without help and working for long hours at home, which is just not giving us the much needed me time. Instead of stressing about what comes ahead, let’s focus on our overall well-being. With that being said let’s first understand what’s really happening to our skin while we are at home during lockdown. UR Skin During Lockdown? You’re not wrong to think that your skin is finally getting the break it deserves from dust, pollution, makeup and extreme sun exposure during the lockdown. What you may forget is that watching the news, reading forwarded messages and anything related to COVID is stressing you not just mentally, but physically as well. Stress can cause unnecessary anxiety, breakouts, sleepless nights and other skin concerns that reflect on your skin’s health. Did you know that 50% of skin diseases are related to the nervous system? Here’s exactly what you need to do to improve UR skin & Hair health! Chase the sun in UR home Your body is meant to be in the sun, and exposure to sunlight during the day is crucial to your overall well-being. Try to look for sunny areas in UR home to get at least 20 minutes of sunlight early in the morning in the comfort of UR home. Moisturize UR Skin Care for your skin, follow a minimal but effective skincare routine, which involves cleansing, moisturizing and exfoliating UR skin. Try not to overdo or complicate your skincare routine. An effective skincare routine just needs three four things; a cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen and UR commitment. Call & Consult UR Dermatologist Stay in touch with your dermatologist virtually or visit them while following all the safety precautions. Even though it is tough during the lockdown to get back into the routine of visiting our doctor, we should still make an effort to care for our skin however we can at the moment. Eat Healthy UR gut health is the key to skin health. Eat food which helps boosts your skin health. Avoid excessively oily and fried food. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables, try putting fruit peel or a fruit on UR face to refresh UR skin. A Little Bit Of Exercise Goes A Long Way Exercising for as little as ten minutes can help you stay active, improve blood circulation and skin health. Moreover, exercise has always proven to improve UR mood, blood regulation and skin health. Exercise a little everyday! Dispose One-Time Use Masks Avoid reusing one-time use masks this can cause skin rashes, breakouts or rashes, all of which can be avoided. Dispose UR one-time use masks after every use. If UR using reusable cotton masks, make sure you wash them after every use to avoid contamination. Follow protocols at all times to stay safe. Wash UR Hands Before Touching UR Face Since most of us have to do our own chores we may sometimes just use our hand to scratch our face. This is a big no-no, especially this time around. Always make sure your hands are clean and sanitized before you touch UR face. Try and use wet wipes to clean your face if oily or moist from wearing the mask. Get UR Beauty Sleep! During sleep, UR skin’s blood flow increases, while UR skin rebuilds its collagen and repairs damage from UV exposure. A beauty sleep of 7-8 hours can help in reducing premature skin ageing, dark circles, puffy skin and age spots. Pamper Yourself It is essential for us to pamper our skin and ourselves during this lockdown to keep our skin healthy. Applying masks, exfoliating your skin when required can help refresh your skin. Don’t overload on many products before going outdoors as extra product clogs pores, cause oiliness and also cause acne breakouts. Make sure to follow these tips to keep your skin healthy during lockdown! Lastly, spending most of your time at home might make you abandon your daily skincare routines as well. Staying in touch with your dermatologist will help you keep your skin healthy and fabulous even during this dreadful lockdown. Once you have a simple daily skin routine chalked out, nothing can stop you. Stay at home, stay safe, stay healthy!
Are you wondering why UR skin is breaking out even during the lockdown? With the world going helter skelter over…
Easy Ways You Can Care For UR Hands During COVID-19
We all know that one way of protecting ourselves from the tricky coronavirus is to keep washing our hands with sanitizer or soap, stay indoors and follow other safety measures. One thing all these precautions have in common is that they all require us to touch, wash, clean and move things with our hands. So, scrubbing them several times a day can take a toll on them, making them rough and flaky in texture. You might have also noticed that there are many places on UR body where UR skin varies in texture and thickness, like around UR eyes, neck, lips and the back of UR hands. This is why all these areas need proper care, especially, UR hands. Usually the skin on the back of our hands is thin and lacks any oil glands; in other words, it gets dry and wrinkles faster. Along with dryness, even our nails become brittle, chip or break easily. Here are some fab home remedies which you can DIY! Ways You Can Take Care Of UR Hands Needless to say, it is important to protect UR hands by wearing rubber gloves while doing house chores which may involve washing, gardening, dusting or wiping. After washing UR hands make sure to lather on some hand cream under and around UR nails, massage the front and back of UR hands at night with a good nourishing cream. This is the area prone to early wrinkling. Work down each finger, starting from the tip. Use tiny circular movements on the joints of the fingers. Massage the back of the hand, using strokes moving from the fingers towards the wrist. Fab DIY’s To Keep Ur Hands Soft, Smooth And Healthy For dry hands and nails Mix one tablespoon of almond oil with one tablespoon sesame seed (til) oil and one teaspoon wheat germ oil Apply daily and massage it into the skin Massage around the nails too, in order to soften the cuticles For dry hands Warm some milk and soak your hands in it for ten minutes. To soften the skin and remove tan from UR hands Hand scrub Take half a handful of sugar in UR palm (or in a container), and add lemon juice Mix everything for a minute and apply this mixture on the back of UR hands and gently rub UR hands clockwise and anticlockwise for five-seven minutes on each hand for best results Rinse UR hands with water and moisturize Sunflower oil finger soak Take two tablespoons sunflower oil, two tablespoons lemon juice and three tablespoons Coarse sugar. Mix together till it becomes a paste Apply and rub into hands Wash UR hands after 15 minutes. Do this three times a week Tan remover Take fresh orange peels, pierce them with a fork Rub the peels on the hands to brighten them Remedies for cleansing, softening and tightening UR skin Facepack Choker (wheat bran) and besan (gram flour) mix with turmeric and milk into a paste and apply it on UR hands Wash UR hands after 20 minutes For nail skin softening Mix almond oil and honey in equal parts in a small cup Massage this concoction on UR nails, cuticles and the skin under and over UR fingers and toes For dry nails Warm any vegetable oil and soak fingers in it for ten minutes Wipe UR fingers with a moist towel DIY for dry nails Mix three tablespoons of rose water, two tablespoons of lemon juice and one tablespoon of glycerin Apply this mixture on UR hands and feet Leave it on for 30 minutes A luxurious overnight treatment for UR hands Take four teaspoons of almond oil, add one tablespoon of rose water Now add half-a-teaspoon of tincture benzoin, drop-by-drop Mix everything together and apply this mixture on UR hands Wear loose cotton socks on the hands and leave it on overnight Remove the cotton socks and rinse your hands with plain water in the morning Bath time is also appropriate for pampering the hands and supplying them with the oil and moisturizing they need. Before your bath, apply warmed oil on the hands and massage it into the skin. This helps to soften the skin. You can use coconut oil, which is very nourishing. Or use pure almond oil. Immediately, after your bath, apply a moisturizing lotion or cream, while the skin is still damp. This helps to seal in moisture. Before bath treatment for hands & full body Twice a week, have a pre-bath treatment by mixing powdered almonds with curd and a pinch of turmeric Apply it on UR hands or full body After 15 minutes, rub the paste gently on UR skin and wash it with water The 5-Step Manicure First, remove old nail polish with a remover. To cut nails, use a nail clipper. Then shape them with an emery board. File in one direction only for uniformity. Soak UR hands in a small bowl of warm water for 5 minutes after adding a few drops of shampoo. Use a soft brush to clean nails. Wash UR hands, then apply cream and massage UR nails and skin. Push UR cuticles back gently using a cotton bud. Keep them soft and smooth. Otherwise, it will stick to UR nail and get dragged as the nail grows. Avoid cutting cuticles or cleaning nails with sharp instruments. Use a cotton bud to clean under UR nails. Then apply the nail polish, using three-long smooth strokes, from the base of the nails to the tip. Use two coats of UR desired colour for an even finish. A few almonds are eaten daily, make the nails strong. Try these DIY remedies and let us know how they work for you!
We all know that one way of protecting ourselves from the tricky coronavirus is to keep washing our hands with…
Testing For Covid-19 During Turbulent Times
"Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)" is the causative organism of "COVID-19," the disease which has metamorphosed into a veritable pandemic. The name itself is a code - 'CO' stands for 'corona,' 'VI' for 'virus' and 'D' for disease, i.e. coronavirus disease 2019. COVID-19 is now a household name, and so are PCR and rapid antibody tests, the two major criteria for COVID-19. Yet questions regarding the reliability of these tests haunt our minds. Can we be certain of having contracted the infection if we test positive? Can we heave a sigh of relief if we test negative? Let us search for these answers today. The validity of a test How to know that a test is accurate? The answer lies in its validity. Efficacy is the ability of a test to separate those having disease from those who are disease-free correctly. It has two components: sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity is the ability of a test to accurately identify everyone having the disease. In contrast, uniqueness is the ability of a test to correctly determine everyone who is disease-free (among those tested). We hardly find tests with one hundred per cent sensitivity as well as specificity. What becomes inevitable, then? False negatives who test negative despite having the disease and false positives who test positive despite being disease-free. A highly sensitive test will have less false negatives. On the contrary, there will be less number of false positives in a highly specific test. Dangers of false negatives and positives False-negative tests give a false sense of security. Such patients get delayed or no treatment, whereas they continue to spread infection. As governments across the world plan to relax restrictions and loosen lockdowns in a bid to reopen economies, there is a serious risk that people who are wrongly believed to be disease-free because of their false-negative test results will cause a re-infection in society. Hence, we must select tests with high sensitivity so that false-negative results are minimized. On the contrary, every false-positive result causes a healthy person to unnecessarily undergo isolation as well as retesting. People getting false-positive results in antibody tests may be misguided to believe that they are immune to COVID-19 as they have the protective antibody and they may negligently get exposed and infected. Therefore, false-positive results also need to be avoided. RT-PCR test: false positives & false negatives All validated RT-PCR tests have high specificity because they detect specific gene sequences of the RNA of SARS-CoV-2. Hence, false-positive results are rare here. But beware! RT-PCR test can sometimes produce false-negative results. An infected patient may even test negative several times before testing positive. Therefore, correlation with the history of travel and contacts, clinical observations, chest X-rays and chest CT scans is recommended in suspected COVID-19 patients who test negative. Retesting is also advised in such cases, 2 to 4 days after the first test. RT-PCR test: causes of false-negative results RNA samples for RT-PCR test are usually collected from swabs of nasopharynx or oro-pharynx, e.g. throat. However, RNA samples are relatively unstable because enzymes that can split RNA are found in many places, including the surface of the human body. Therefore, if the samples are transported to the laboratory within 72 hours after collection, the swabs are placed in tubes containing viral transport medium (VTM) and stored at 2 to 8°C (cold chain). If testing is delayed further, specimens must be stored at -70°C or below or transported on dry ice. Meticulous maintenance of these conditions for storage and transportation of samples will prevent RNA-splitting enzymes from degrading viral RNA in those samples. Failure to ensure the prescribed environmental conditions may cause false-negative results. Besides, swab must be taken from a spot sufficiently back inside the throat to get a viable sample for this test. Otherwise, sample quality may be poor, leading to a false-negative result. False-negative results also occur due to improper reagents, poor technique in conducting the test in the laboratory because of lack of trained laboratory personnel and in very early or late stages of the disease when low levels of the virus are present. Besides, the failure to amplify the target sequences of viral RNA during the processing of the sample in the laboratory may cause false-negative results. False-negative results may also happen during the later stage of infection as the virus may no longer be present in the upper respiratory tract, i.e. nasopharynx or oropharynx at that time. Best way to avoid false adverse reports, specimens can then be collected from the lower respiratory tract, i.e. trachea/windpipe and below where the virus will still be present. Rapid antibody test: dilemma faced by governments/regulators Amidst the frenzy of launching antibody tests on a massive scale at the earliest, we must not forget the crucial issue of reliability of those testing kits. Given the current public health emergency, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA have issued emergency use authorization (EUA) to private companies for using their medical devices and kits despite the lack of adequate data to prove their accuracy. Many other countries have relaxed criteria for validating antibody testing kits or imported them in a hurry, only to find later that the results they yield are highly inaccurate. It is the need of the hour for the government and national regulators to do a proper balancing act so that the need for accuracy of any new diagnostic test is not sacrificed at the altar of public health urgency. Rapid antibody tests: false positives & false negatives These tests usually detect antibodies that are produced in the human body against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Why is this protein selected? Because this is the main antigen that attaches to the host cell, facilitates entry of the virus into the host cell and elicits neutralizing antibodies. Unfortunately, some antibody test kits also detect antibodies produced in the human body against the spike protein of other coronaviruses because the antigenic structures of the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and common cold-causing coronaviruses have probably about 50 to 60% identity. Such kits will yield some inaccurate results as someone infected with some other coronavirus may falsely test positive. To eliminate the potential for such cross-reactivity, new antibody tests must select sections of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 that are completely dissimilar from all other coronaviruses. Another problem arises when some antibody test kits are validated with samples from patients who are severely diseased and will develop a strong antibody response. Such antibody test kits may be reasonably accurate in severely ill patients. Still, they may give false-negative results in patients with mild or no symptoms who usually have less viral load and produce fewer antibodies in their blood. We must know that the antibody response can be low in the following individual who may be elderly, have poor nutritional habits, less severity of disease (low viral load) and in the presence of immunodeficiency disorders (e.g. AIDS) or with regular intake of immunosuppressive drugs (e.g. steroids in high dose). An antibody test may be harmful even if you have had an infection recently or in the past. Way forward No country in the world has yet tested all its inhabitants for COVID-19 because every nation aims to ensure optimal utilization of its available resources. It is widely acknowledged now that a massive increase of COVID-19 testing is crucial to control this public health crisis, irrespective of the date we decide to relax lockdown measures. Meanwhile, there is a pressing need to ensure that all the tests are conducted accurately. Detailed analysis reports help doctors as well as policymakers, from being misguided while taking decisions. To cater to the burgeoning need for testing in the future, every nation must massively invest in the medical diagnostics industry, which will help boost our country's medical technology and infrastructure. Doing so can improve the quality of indigenously manufactured kits, research development and innovation of unique testing methods that yield more accurate results in less time. This will ensure the availability of a sufficient number of trained workforce for proper sample collection and testing. As aptly said in Purusha Sukta of Rig Veda, "Nanya pantha vidyate ayanaya" i.e. there is no other way on earth.
“Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” is the causative organism of “COVID-19,” the disease which has metamorphosed into…
10 Tips To Handle Food During & Post COVID-19
Food safety has never been more imperative than now during COVID-19. To ease the process, we need to know which precautions we should be taking in our lives to avoid any infections, contaminants and health scare from compromising our livelihood. Many of us can’t afford to get our homes sanitized by private companies; well, there are still many ways to reduce the risk of infection smartly and sustainably. Here are a few tips to get you started. 10 Ways You Can Handle UR Food During & Post Covid-19 Wash UR hands with soap and water. Scrub and wash every part of UR hand with soap for 20 seconds. Rinse UR hands thoroughly and dry UR hands with a clean hand towel or paper towel. Use the paper or hand towel to shut the running faucet. Sanitize surfaces. All the surfaces in UR house should be sanitized regularly and not just in UR kitchen. You can clean surfaces with an unscented disinfectant. Or if you prefer to make UR own disinfectant, then we have that covered too below! Wash UR veggies & fruits. We can’t stress this point enough. Any food vegetable or fruit coming from outside UR home needs to be washed in lukewarm water with salt. This helps kill any germs, bacteria and other contaminants which can affect UR health. Avoid eating the vegetable peels or fruit peels as it may still have unwanted bacteria or germs. Use them to make UR own compost instead. Throw out the packaging if UR ordering out. Sometimes we can’t help but give in to a cheat day! So, when UR ordering out make sure you Opt for a no-contact delivery, throw out the utensils and the bag the food has come in. Immediately transfer the food into UR utensils and reheat the food again. The best advice is that you should completely avoid ordering food as this can put and UR loved ones at risk. Always separate Ur foods when UR shopping. This means you should place raw fish, meat and poultry in separate bags or boxes. Store these foods below the ready-to-eat food items. Separate the foods when UR preparing and serving the food. Always make sure you use a clean cutting board for fresh produce and a separate board for seafood, meat and poultry. Never place the cooked food on the same plate or cutting board that previously held the raw food. Clear out UR refrigerator once a week. Get rid of any refrigerated foods that should no longer be eaten after a week. Cooked leftovers should be discarded max after four days; raw poultry and ground meat for 1 to 2 days. Use a food thermometer when UR cooking meat. A food thermometer is a fab addition to helping anyone manage food better. These thermometers can be used to ensure that the food is cooked safely, especially meat and that cooked food is kept at safe temperatures until it is eaten. Keep all UR utensils and appliances clean! This practice should be followed without a doubt. No matter how to clean UR veggies, fruits or kitchen surfaces are, if your utensils and appliances aren’t clean UR risking yourself and UR family members to bacteria and unnecessary health concerns. Carry UR own lunch and water. When things do get back to normal, it is best to take UR own lunch, water and cutlery along with you to work, college or school. As bizarre as this may sound, this can eliminate potential risks, infections and germs from spreading. These tips should not only be followed now but throughout to avoid compromising UR health, especially during COVID-19. If you want a few more kitchen tips, then check out our video on Stuff to think about while cooking. Cleaning products and agents can be a blessing and a curse, well one good thing is that we also have a natural cleanser recipe for you too!
Food safety has never been more imperative than now during COVID-19. To ease the process, we need to know which…
What Is The Best Self-Care During The COVID-19 Crisis?
Self-care should be uppermost in our minds during the COVID-19 crisis, for several urgent reasons. Self-care returns a sense of control over your own life. It gives you an integrative approach to mind and body. It aligns you with the best knowledge currently available about who is more at risk for developing acute symptoms after being infected. Your immune status is complex, and in mainstream medicine the chief determining factor is traditionally considered to be genetic. However, there are strong links to underlying low-level chronic inflammation connected to lifestyle that is found in most if not all common disorders including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and even obesity. COVID-19 has a mortality rate that increases with age and pre-existing conditions, as we all know by now. What is less publicized is that the hospitalization rate, which is very high at over 15%, also affects younger age groups even though their death rates are lower. In those who are most susceptible, the virus creates an acute and severe form of inflammation referred to as a “cytokine storm”, which then leads to severe symptoms and respiratory damage, even death. Cytokines are the chief protein mediators of inflammation in the body. We can use this information about the dangers of having an elevated pre-existing state of low-level chronic inflammation to perhaps offset the possibility of the kind of acute inflammation that puts a person at risk for severe infection and hospitalization. Let me emphasize the “perhaps” caution. The research on low-level chronic inflammation grows by the year and is very significant. You can go to many websites or our recent book “The Healing Self” to discover the kinds of foods and lifestyles that are either inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. But it is only in the field of integrative medicine that there is a cumulative understanding that anti-inflammation practices need to embrace mind and body. The general public, including mainstream doctors, are more often than not ill-informed of the research that connects meditation and yoga to the benefits of anti-stress, anti-inflammation, and anti-infection. Without a doubt, meditation and yoga have no side effects and are backed by decades of research over their benefits. To this has been added so-called “vagal breathing”, related to the ability of the vagus nerve to induce a relaxed state simply by doing regular deep breathing that equalizes breathing in and breathing out (there are numerous websites providing instructions on this simple but effective technique, which is now a standard recommendation for countering stress). Biophysical anthropologist William C. Bushell points to the damage created by the body’s own immune defenses. To quote a recent article at Medium.com by Maureen Seaberg, “Bushell says that inflammation is the primary way COVID-19 kills. ‘Spread of the virus through the body leads to widespread and intensive activation of the inflammatory defenses throughout the body, though originally intended to combat the pathogen, but at this point instead resulting in widespread tissue damage, and fatally, to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in which the lungs become flooded and respiratory failure ensues; the viral toxins themselves play a much lesser role in the tissue damage that ultimately can produce extreme critical disease states (pulmonary aspiration, septic shock), and potentially death.” The uncharted frontier is whether chronic inflammation, which is thought to be widely prevalent in our stress-filled, junk food eating, sleep-deprived society, increases the odds that the body might erupt into acute inflammation, e.g. a cytokine storm, when infected with viruses like COVID-19. One can think of this of this storm as a kind of over-reaction by our immune system. The big question is whether low-grade chronic inflammation may set the stage for this over-reaction and increase the odds of a “cytokine storm” in the presence of a nasty virus like COVID-19. Meanwhile, meditation, yoga, vagal breathing, and other relaxation techniques might provide an edge in the current crisis by reducing the chronic inflammatory state of the body. We’ve joined Bushell and other concerned figures, including Michelle Williams, S.D., Dean of Harvard’s School of Public Health, in advising that meditation and yoga (in addition to a healthy diet and ample sleep) be included in front-line efforts against COVID-19. The public is woefully uninformed about the mind-body benefits of these simple, effective measures, and every model of the pandemic foresees a huge overload on this country’s hospitals. The virus is more contagious and infectious than the flu, and it hospitalizes and kills a much higher percentage of cases. The message about COVID-19 and inflammation is very important. It needs to be received by all of us for our common well-being at any time, but most urgently, now, we all must strive to reduce our base level of chronic inflammation. DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. His 90th book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.” Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D. is the Vice-Chair of Neurology, Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Co-Director of the Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health, and Co-Director of the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also serves as the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Tanzi discovered several Alzheimer’s disease genes, including all three early-onset familial Alzheimer’s genes, and serves as director of the Alzheimer’s Genome Project. He is also developing therapies for treating and preventing AD using human mini-brain organoid models of the disease, pioneered in his laboratory. Dr. Tanzi has published 600 papers, received numerous awards and was on the 2015 TIME100 Most Influential People in the World list. Dr. Tanzi is a New York Times bestselling author, who has co-authored “Decoding Darkness” and three bestsellers with Deepak Chopra: “Super Brain”, “Super Genes”, and “The Healing Self”.
Self-care should be uppermost in our minds during the COVID-19 crisis, for several urgent reasons. Self-care returns a sense of…
Five Ways To Train UR Brain During COVID-19 Lockdown
COVID-19 has pushed us back against the wall with the unprecedented lockdowns throughout the world. We are surely trying to live with this novel coronavirus in every way possible. And with things are opening up in due course. While we are all waiting to go back to normal, our brain has been kind of redundant in the past 2-3 months. The unprecedented changes in our lifestyle due to this lockdown, we need to train our brains to improve cognitive and social skills. Learning new skills, setting new goals and challenges for the brain are part of the training to keep our minds functional. Here are the top 5 ways in which you can train your brain for a more cognitively active lifestyle. Diversity is the key. Our activities in daily life rely on several brain or cognitive functions. They include memory, language, planning and speed of processing, among other things. Different types of activities allow us to train our brain do learn more thinking skills. Doing crosswords puzzles, for instance, maybe a great way to teach language and short-term memory. Set smart goals When you are sitting inactive at home, the best way to get back on track is to set goals. But don't set the bar too high. Instead, look to monitor your small goals. When you are done with one part and want to move forward, revise them and aim for a bit higher. Your goal should be about doing a new task in defined time or even achieving a higher difficulty level in a set timeframe. Brain workouts Brain workouts are a great way to train your grey matter. Research has shown that it isn't compulsory to exercise the brain every day. Instead, doing a 'brain workout' session of 30-60 minutes in a week is a great way to keep going. After you've completed the task, try to use these newly-learned skills in your daily activities. This will help you transfer the gains of the brain workout into your day-to-day operations. Overcoming challenges Always remember that the more challenging the activity, the more chances of sharpening your cognitive ability. It might happen with you that you will not be able to conquer the set goals. It can be either because of setting the bar too high or things going beyond your control. It is in these times that you will have to overcome the obstacles by planning meticulously instead of giving up. Better together Ever heard of the phrase two heads are better than one? Well, it works great in the gym for you, right? Try that when you are doing cognitive training. It will not only be more enjoyable but may also increase our level of effort. It will also help you overcome boredom. Not in the mood to do it with face to face? Try going on video calls with your friends and train together.
COVID-19 has pushed us back against the wall with the unprecedented lockdowns throughout the world. We are surely trying to…
Sustainable Shifts UR Workplace Can Make Post COVID-19
At a time when the world is slowly awakening to the idea of healthy living, all thanks to COVID-19. There is a frightening reality that needs to be addressed by us collectively. According to a recent study, 63 per cent of Indian corporate-sector employees are overweight. Promotion of a healthy and balanced diet is vital for the prevention of overweight, obesity and several chronic diseases. The focus has shifted from considering healthy food patterns as a mainly private issue to recognising the responsibility of us as a society, including worksites, in creating healthy environments and conditions that support and promote healthy eating habits at workplaces who are progressively working towards improving their workforce's quality of life and output by promoting and assessing a change in their canteen meal's nutritional profile and sustainability. Besides improving our dietary intake at work, worksite health promotion initiatives may also lead to improvements in the lifestyles of UR employees and their families should also be carried outside of the workplace. While some offices and factories have resumed their services, this gives us the perfect opportunity to assess our canteens to make a sustainable shift. A study conducted in 2019 by HealthifyMe-a health and fitness app, covered the working-class corporates from major Indian cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi, Kolkata and even the remote areas such as Vapi in Gujrat. The eating habits and activity of about 60,000 Indian workers from various sectors in finance, banking, marketing etc. were analysed. Surprisingly, this year-long study stated that a whopping 63 per cent of corporate employees across India are overweight, and their body mass index (BMI) is above 23! This study was an eye-opener to make changes in the food provided at MNCs and SME canteens. Did you know that according to the World Health Organization, the Body Mass Index (BMI) of a healthy person should range between 18.5 and 24.9; a person with a BMI above 25 is defined as overweight, and those with a BMI of 30 or higher are considered to be obese. How Can Workplaces Be Mindful Of Their Canteens, the Environment & Their Employees' Health? The overall aim of inculcating healthy eating practices has a deeper meaning. Along with health, we must also think about how canteen meals are more sustainable in terms of sourcing our ingredients, teaching healthy food choices, portions, while keeping sustainable living as our priority. Here are a few ways SMEs & MNC's can assess their canteen meals and protocols to become more sustainable collectively. Source locally-sourced foods. This is key to supporting our farmers, our planet, improving our food intakes, adds a range of vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains in our diet. Review food safety management system plans such as lab testing reports, training reports, cleaning and sanitation records. Food handlers medical report, raw material log report and kitchen equipment( refrigerator, cutlery, oven, blender, etc.) calibration records to determine whether all the equipment being used is sanitised and maintained properly. Sanitisation and food safety handling training sessions can help in training food handlers in MNC's & SME's by our nutritionists. Understand, study and analyse the nutritional profile of the canteen meals. This can be done with the help of our nutritional experts who can help in determining the ideal ratios and types of ingredients which can be modified according to the health requirements. This can also help employees understand where they can make sustainable shifts in their daily food choices, eating patterns and food portions not just at work, but in their homes as well. Assess which food item is being wasted on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Discontinue the same to avoid food waste. Avoid using one-time-use plastics like plates, glasses, cutlery and plastic bags that increase garbage/waste and end up in our landfills. Use any leftover fruit and vegetable peels to make compost. This can be used to grow UR own produce, eliminating any chances of consuming any contaminated (pesticides-injected) food. Guide UR workforce by setting up nutritionist seminars/virtual conferences, which helps employees become more aware of making healthier food choices. It is more important than ever to build our immune system now to withstand these uncertain times. This type of dietary change program has the potential for considerable access into communities and thereby contribute significantly to larger public health goals in reducing incidences of dietary-related diseases. Did you know that The Pasona Urban Farm in Tokyo is a nine-storey office building which allows employees to grow and harvest their food at work? All of which, is supported and made possible with the help of a team of agriculture experts. In Bangalore, The Manyata Business Park which houses over 90,000 workers across companies such as NVIDIA, Nokia, Cognizant and IBM, have been allotted small patches of land on which they can grow their crops. Now there are also hydroponic kitchen garden setups/startup kits, which give you the free will of growing UR own produce at home, at UR workplace or in your community. This is novel evidence to support further action in worksites in enabling and promoting healthy eating patterns among employees across the contexts of workplaces. Let's all work together to reinforce sustainable practices starting from the grass-root level. If you want to assess your canteen at UR workplace, then you can consult our certified nutritionists to make a sustainable shift at UR workplace and enhance URLife.
At a time when the world is slowly awakening to the idea of healthy living, all thanks to COVID-19….
A Day In The Life Of A Nurse During Covid-19
A Day In The Life Of A Nurse During Covid-19 Billuri Pushpanjali - Infection Control Nurse, Apollo Medical College Hospital, Jubilee Hills There is no typical day at the hospital during these challenging times, but as a nurse there are certainly things we can expect to deal with regularly. I usually wake up at 6.a.m but nothing seems to be usual about these days. We are currently dealing with a pandemic and we need to be extra cautious. This disease has changed the way we deal with our patients and has made us extremely vigilant in order to minimize the risk of contracting the virus. Before leaving my house I prepare breakfast and lunch for my four-year-old daughter and husband. I say my morning prayers, get ready and head out of the house. I live 12 kilometers away from the hospital, so it takes me around half an hour to commute. I ride a bike to work. As lock down rules apply – I’m allowed to pass only when I show my ID. My constant companions nowadays are a mask and an alcohol-based hand rub. One of the first things I do as I reach the hospital at 8.a.m is to change my mask as I enter the clinical area. I also remove my mask and wear a fresh mask while moving out. Movement is mainly restricted for covid-19 patients and also the staff handling covid-19 patients. The doffing and donning areas are strictly monitored and staff movement to the patient care area too is based on the patients need. Unnecessary exposure is avoided. Also, while going to the patient area I wear complete PPE - gown, mask, gloves, goggles, face shield, shoe cover, and head cap. 8.30 a.m. to 8.45 a.m. I head straight to the microbiology department to collect all the reports and inform the concerned departments about the same. 9 a.m. I wear a mask and gloves and go on my rounds which include monitoring and surveillance of all infection control practices in all wards. This goes on till nearly 12 p.m. during which time I complete my rounds. I check all the cleaning activities, monitor the dilutions of the cleaning chemicals, examine all the microbiological reports, check the cleaned equipment, check the cleaning protocols, monitor waste segregation practices and check the linen handling practices. I then report about the abnormal reports and communicating with the microbiology HOD and inform about the necessary measures that need to be taken up by the concerned departments. 12 p.m. to 1p.m. we have our training classes for housekeeping, security and front office departments. 1 to 2 p.m. is reserved exclusively for nurses, because they need more details. 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. I take training regarding covid-19 for the billing department, pharmacy department, intern doctors, all staff nurses, lab technicians, housekeeping, security and front office staff. Mainly I train them regarding hand hygiene practices, doffing and donning of PPE, biomedical waste segregation practices, cough etiquette, safe handling of linen, safe handling of sharp equipment and environmental cleaning. Each training session is for one hour and I usually train 2-3 departments a day. I conduct training classes to all the health care personnel regularly and daily. During these sessions we maintain social distance while communicating, always use a hand rub and face mask, and never touch the high-touch surface areas directly. We maintain at least three feet distance while communicating and during training classes at least 4 to 6 feet as there are many people. 3:30 p.m. an updated report is submitted to the Nursing Superintendent regarding all the reports, issues during the rounds, surveillance reports, cleaning activities monitoring reports etc. As times we have meetings and attend these according to the schedule planned. Hand hygiene audit is done daily under silent survey. The critical care departments are thoroughly trained regarding bundle care practices. The hand hygiene survey is to check all the staff regarding how well they are practicing hand hygiene daily and routinely in the hospital. It is mainly to reduce the risk of transmission from the health care personnel to the patients and also the staff. I also ensure that all the protocols have been displayed in all the wards. Conduct of nursing care in the isolation ward: •Nursing assessment of admitted patients •Minimizing the exposure to staff from patient •Do's and don'ts to the patient explained at the bedside with physical distance (3 feet) and the same in poster form displayed in the ward •3 layer surgical mask provided to every patient •7 a.m. the third shift nurse checks vitals, sp02, administers the prescribed drug, GRBS and food distribution (breakfast) •8 a.m. doffing of PPE and going directly to the staff isolation area (hostel) •8 a.m. first shift nurse comes for duty •12 p.m. first shift nurse follows the rounds, checks vitals, and administers medications and food distribution (lunch) •2 p.m. doffing of PPE and go directly to the staff isolation area (hostel) •2p.m. second shift nurse comes to duty •7 p.m. second shift nurse check vitals, administer medications and food distribution (dinner) •8 p.m. doffing of PPE and go directly to the staff isolation area •8 p.m. third shift nurse comes to duty 4 p.m. my duty gets over and I try to reach back home by 5 p.m. After reaching home, I instantly keep all my belongings out of my daughter’s reach. I go for a bath, wash my clothes immediately and only then do I attend to my household activities. I cook for my family and we prefer to eat fresh homemade food. I cook all south Indian dishes and ensure we have a high protein diet. My daily diet consists of egg, milk, fruit juices without ice which is freshly prepared and dry fruits soaked in water. We have non-vegetarian food twice a week. During my free time, I like to spend time with my daughter - playing, chatting, writing, singing and dancing with her. Healthcare workers are most needed during this crisis and I consider myself lucky to be able to care for patients during this difficult time. There are constant developments we get to hear of with regard to the treatment of covid-19, but in the meantime it’s best to adopt all safety measures and continue to practice hand hygiene and wear a mask. Stay strong and stay safe. We will get through this!
A Day In The Life Of A Nurse During Covid-19 Billuri Pushpanjali – Infection Control Nurse, Apollo Medical College Hospital,…
COVID-19 Everything You Need To Know
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world hard, but this is not the first time that it has happened. In the past there have been two other mutated coronaviruses that have caused epidemics. One was the SARS which was in 2002 and the other was the MARS, which was in 2012. To give you a comparison, the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) caused by a novel coronavirus in 2002 had a mortality rate of 10%. The MERS, which is the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome that came out in 2012, had a mortality rate of 35%. The current SARS 2 Coronavirus which causes COVID-19 has mortality in the region of about 2 to 3% probably more likely 1.5 to 2.5%. To give an idea, when we say infectiousness, we use the terminology called RO whereby we refer to what are the chances of an infected person transmitting to others and the chances of one infected person with COVID-19 can be transmitted to about 1.5 to 2.5 people. Here the incubation period can be as long as 14 days. Also, in flu the person has fever, body pain and cough which is also quite often seen with COVID-19, but in flu a lot of people have up respiratory symptoms in the form of cold, blocked nose, running nose which is less often seen with COVID-19. COVID-19 and flu are very similar in terms of how they are acquired which is through respiratory droplets and touching in animate surfaces which are contaminated by a person’s coughing and sneezing and then taking our hand near the mouth or face. The symptoms are similar. The mortality is probably a little higher. Home quarantine is advised in two situations One if you have come from a country where there is local transmission of this infection like in China, Iran, Italy, Germany, France or probably some other countries in near future which may report any cases. If you have come from any of these countries, and even if you don’t have symptoms of cough or fever, it is advised you stay in home quarantine for the next 14 days. By home quarantine I mean that you need to stay in a separate room, which is well ventilated with the doors closed. The person should not entertain any visitors and even the family should be at least 1 to 2 meters away from this person at all times. The person should not leave the house, should not go anywhere for any social gatherings, to school or even to social functions. Which means he should be entirely at home isolated. At present there are lot of people who either have come back from the country where it is prevalent but don’t have symptoms or there are some people who have symptoms, but no exposure to and proven individual with COVID or exposure to any countries where COVID has occurred. Now as I told you, the tests are done only in government centres and Public Health machinery decides who needs to be tested and the test is currently reserved only if you have come from abroad and asymptomatic or you are symptomatic with exposure to approve and COVID-19 case in India. There is a lot of wishful thinking that heat will kill the virus and it will cease to spread once summer sets in. Now, I am not very confident about this. The virus survives very well at the body temperature of 37 degrees. So in hot temperature if it falls on in-animate object, it will dry very fast. It means that transferring from one person to another through a medium will be less likely. But having said that we need to realise that most of the transmission happens indoors where inevitably the temperatures are much lower and there is air conditioning. Moving on, flu vaccine is only protective against circulating strain of flu. Because the flu vaccine virus is also very mutable virus or keeps changing every year depending on the circulating strain of the flu virus you need to take your vaccine is a booster every year to prevent yourself from getting flu. This has no connection whatsoever the SARS virus and this will not help protect you against COVID-19. SARS 2A COVID-19 is a self-limited condition. Incubation period is the time from the onset of exposure to the occurrence of the disease. It is in the median of 45 days, but can vary anywhere from 2 to 14 days. A person shows symptoms of cough, body pain and fever. Almost 80% of infections are mild and do not even want hospitalization. Another 15% may require hospitalization for oxygen and other supportive measures. 5% of people, which is one in 20 may end up in the ICU requiring ventilator support, out of which about 2 people may die. Those who die are typically elderly people over the age of 60 people with other co morbidities like diabetes, heart disease lung disease or kidney disease. It has been shown that the mortality can be as high as 15% in people over the age of 80. So, at present if you develop symptoms, we advise you home quarantine. If there is local transmission proven for example in India we start getting people who have never travelled, who have never been exposed to a proven case of COVID-19 being tested and proven that they could have this COVID-19 yes, it means we have to be careful. The general advice we give for everybody is avoid all non-essential travel, avoid all crowds, please do not wear a mask outside if you are public without any symptoms if you have symptoms wear a mask and stay indoors self-quarantine which means if you have some symptoms of cough or fever even if you are not sure it is COVID-19. All of us need to be safe. We need to ensure that we take personal responsibility for this which means that if you the symptoms of cough or fever irrespective of what it could be please avoid going to work please, avoid sending your children who may be having fever or cough to school to protect others. So civic sense and personal responsibilities are paramount at this point. If it means social isolation yes all of us need to stay indoors so that we don’t spread the virus and transmit it indiscriminately to others. Especially, old people who may not fare well during the current conditions.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world hard, but this is not the first time that it has happened. In…
COVID-19 And A New Way To Be Happy
Originally published in The San Francisco Gate Diseases point the way to the future if we pay attention. This holds especially true of the global outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19. It is clear that some important lessons have emerged already. Some of these are obvious because they are so visible: Uncertainty is a major cause of panic. No one could miss that lesson. Economies reflect mass psychology. This lesson follows from the first, because the plunge in worldwide markets has been driven by uncertainty. But if you look a bit deeper, COVID-19 exposes a need to take human well-being more seriously. The great push to create a welfare state is around a century old, and certain countries like Sweden and Denmark went much further than the United States. But even in places where democratic socialism won the day, true human welfare wasn’t addressed. The basic right to have guaranteed housing medicine, and education—the cornerstones of the modern welfare state—treat people as economic units. Actual well-being looks very different. Its hallmarks are community and mutual support, valuing happiness as essential to human life, affording lifelong good health, living in an environment with pure air and water, a lack of violence with a necessary emphasis on peace, equal acceptance for all, and the abolition of us-versus-them thinking of the kind that builds barriers of every kind. When you list these ingredients in one place, it becomes painfully clear that a welfare state is far from being a well-being state. COVID-19 exposed how insecure most people actually feel, to the point that the real pandemic is fear, not the virus. It has been largely futile to spread actual facts in the face of the mass fear that social media and 24/7 news incite so easily. The people who are chiefly at risk of dying from the virus as the elderly and disadvantaged, two groups likely to have compromised immune systems or underlying chronic medical conditions. COVID-19 has made people aware at some level that their well-being is of little interest to the leaders they elect. But the underlying issue is that the wellness movement hasn’t caught on even to the extent that the average person knows how to be well, secure, happy, and self-sufficient for life. For everyone else, standard prevention is the best recourse, with the additional advice not to go on extended planes trips or a cruise ship if you are already at risk. But such sensible medical advice is being drowned out. Moreover, the recent tendency toward authoritarian reactionary leadership has exposed that such leaders have a shocking lack of interest in anyone’s welfare but their own and the privileged class they belong to and protect. COVID-19 has made people aware at some level that their well-being is of little interest to the leaders they elect. But the underlying issue is that the wellness movement hasn’t caught on even to the extent that the average person knows how to be well, secure, happy, and self-sufficient for life. I mean this in personal terms, not economic ones. The average person is so fixated on holding a job and the price of gas that it seems like fantasy to talk about a fulfilling job and the price of unhappiness. We need a new way to be happy based on well-being. To instigate such a radical shift has already begun—the wellness movement is here to stay. Global warming, despite reactionary resistance, has already alerted the world that any solution must be global. Nationalism only makes the problem worse. Sectarian violence, terrorism, and civil unrest are pointless (as they always have been) if you and the person you hate are both under the same climate threat. If the progressive wing in politics really values well-being, it should propose a secretary position in the cabinet to boost everything that well-being stands for. If that proposal sounds too ideal or even foolish, then you might look in the mirror and ask what your own happiness is based on. If it is based on money, status, possessions, and lifelong consumerism, you need to wake up. Those have been the normal standards of happiness for a long time, but they have led to gross income disparity, a huge carbon footprint, a pitiful level of well-being for the world’s under-privileged, an ingrained prejudice against the poor and anyone “not like us,” and a society in which, beyond our immediate family and friends, all of us feel like strangers in a strange land. COVID-19 has brought the situation under a glaring spotlight. If the past is prologue, the immediate reflex will not be positive—stores will be cleaned out of essential products when the right thing to do is to share these products, not hoard them. Rumor, gossip, and absurd untruths will block sensible advice, correct facts, and a healthy caution toward the outbreak. But for all that, COVID-19 implies a new future and makes it more urgent. Passivity and inertia are no longer affordable. We’ve all booked passage on cruise ship Earth. There’s nowhere anyone can disembark, and all the passengers, including the ones in first class, are literally in the same boat. Only a new way to find happiness, based on a global self-care movements and personal well-being to replace empty consumerism and mass distractions, has any hope of leading to a better future. Consider this as seriously as you can, and make your own well-being the start of global wellness. DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. His 90th book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.”
Originally published in The San Francisco Gate Diseases point the way to the future if we pay attention. This holds…