COVID-19 Pandemic Led to Delays in Care for Nearly Half of Breast Cancer Survivors

Breast Cancer is nowadays rapidly increasing in the urban Indian women.The early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic caused 44% of breast cancer survivors to have a delay in care, according to an online survey.Because COVID-19 is so contagious, and to save healthcare resources for people diagnosed with COVID-19, many hospitals and other healthcare facilities delayed or cancelled elective procedures beginning in March 2020. Elective procedures included anything that didn’t need to be done to save someone’s life. Breast cancer screening was considered an elective procedure, so many mammograms were delayed or cancelled. Some breast cancer surgeries and other treatments also were delayed, changed, or cancelled.

The researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago who did this study wanted to see how changes in healthcare due to the pandemic affected people who had been treated for breast cancer.The researchers wrote a 50-question online survey to figure out how the COVID-19 pandemic had affected breast cancer care. The researchers invited adults who had been diagnosed with breast cancer to complete the survey by sending invitations via email, posting on social media, and sending invitations to breast cancer support networks. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on cancer care across the globe. Early data indicate increased risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality for cancer survivors.

Delays in a routine or follow-up doctor appointment were the most common, followed by delays in breast reconstruction surgery and diagnostic imaging or testing.About 30% of the respondents said they had a delay in treatment, including radiation, infusions, and surgery to remove the cancer.

As time has passed, doctors have seen how protective procedures, such as wearing a face mask, washing your hands, maintaining physical distancing, and avoiding gathering with people in a group, have helped slow the spread of the virus. So most facilities are once again offering all aspects of breast cancer care, including screening.

During the pandemic, the weekly average number of people diagnosed with these six cancers dropped by 46.4%. Specifically, breast cancer diagnoses dropped by 51.8% — from 2,208 to 1,064.

“Our results indicate a significant decline in newly identified patients with 6 common types of cancer, mirroring findings from other countries,” the researchers wrote. “The Netherlands Cancer Registry has seen as much as a 40% decline in weekly cancer incidence, and the United Kingdom has experienced a 75% decline in referrals for suspected cancer since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented.

“While residents have taken to social distancing, cancer does not pause,” they continued. “The delay in diagnosis will likely lead to presentation at more advanced stages and poorer clinical outcomes. One study suggests a potential increase of 33,890 excessive cancer deaths in the United States.”

Social Media- A Boon or Bane?

The most common sites nowadays in homes as well as at public spaces are people with their necks bent and eyes focused on the screen of their mobile phones. Though not the only but a major portion of the screen time is devoted to the social media applications like Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram. The invention of social media is considered to be a blessing as it has enabled us to overcome the greatest barrier to communication- distance. We can now chat with our friends or relatives thousands of kilometers apart in a matter of seconds. But we often tend to overlook the vices associated with social media. It has been found in several studies that excess use of social media is linked with higher levels of anxiety and depression.

Focusing first on the brighter side, the apps like Instagram and Facebook have provided a platform for the unheard to speak. The marginalized and the minority section, whose views are often suppressed by the mainstream media, is able to mobilize the public opinion by using the social media. With family members moving apart nowadays due to jobs or studies, using these applications the people can still keep in touch without bearing the humungous bills of the telecom services. Also newer job opportunities have also accompanied with the social media, the most remarkable being that of the content creators. If nothing, social media has become the best pastime for people especially the younger generation (who get easily bored of anything except Instagram).

Now coming to the part which is less often appreciated adequately by people. The social media usage has significant adverse affects on our mental health and wellbeing. These apps have become platforms for social comparison, the people inculcate a feeling of inferiority complex seeing the ones who are better off in looks,wealth etc. Another stressor on social media is the “social currency” in terms of likes,comments and shares which have introduced a number game for judging the person. Seeing others being a part of an event or an opportunity also causes FOMO which is actual social anxiety of being missed out. The menace of online harassment has come into significance too.

The social media in itself is neither good nor bad, rather just a tool to communicate. The dark side of social media is actually nothing but the dark side of the humans. What is required is actually the audit of our social diet i.e. what we see on social media. The duality of appearance and reality should be kept in mind and we should rationally analyze the content we watch on these platforms. It is the same Facebook and Instagram that can tear you up, harming your mental health as well as lift you up, having an actual LOL! It’s upto us what we want to chose.

Drinking water, or soluble chemicals.

Water, you might have known it’s value, when your are thirsty but out of water. we nearly feel like to be gonna die. For, traditional Indians, you might known it’s value when you experience sudden cutoff of water supply ,in bathroom. All of us take this important thing for granted, but if once water wants to escape from us, the screams of 1.3 billion bangs the whole world. You may wonder, why only Indians scream …….ok, before you wanna know about it, also think ; Is your drinking water safe?, hey!..don’t tell that, i’m alright from the time i have born, no problem with drinking water.

Here, i just would like to bring up some most fundamental aspects of our life, i wanna recall we aren’t so much safe and being effected by things, but we never realize until they blasts a bomb in our life. One such is, drinking water; seems to be pure in color, no visible dust particles to our naked eye, but they have already been carrying invisible toxic substances with it, and ready to destroy us slowly after getting inside of us. Most of you might not care this, and stamps this as a boring story, but never forget; your taking some chemicals at every time you have a sip, and leaving your organs as a playground for the toxics that have gone inside you, along with the water you intake.

You better know the water sewage infrastructure in india, even some have been setup for namesake. So, the only option left for us to take care of ourselves. we cannot stop the flow of untreated chemicals and industrial waste into water. sometimes, There rises a campaigns and goes to sleep within no time.

Then, how to get a solution for this problem and to have a safe drinking water. The one thing is to setup water treatment plants by forming as a community, or to use water purifiers at home, leaving no space to compromise with it’s quality, Just even getting into debt; in long run saves you from unsolvable threats. But the bitter fact is, the cost of water purification is too high. But sadly we were pretending to believe the low level mechanisms and being fooled. One such example is, at rural areas or some public water suppliers , can get a 10 litres of water for just 2 rupees, whereas the premium water brands like tata provides the purified mineral water bottle of 1 litre for 20 rupees. This scenario can make us understand , how we are being pretended that low filtered water as mineral.The looters have just redefined the meaning of name itself.

we have been facing many health issues, one of the most important is, elders are facing problems regarding bone strength and losing immunity at very mid ages. This was an indirect effect of consuming water, because there is a clear picture of releasing pollutants from industries into water, but we confine ourself it might be because of age. This gonna definitely show impact on generations, if not resolved our life span keeps on reducing untill we open our eyes.

There is a huge need for communities to come forward and have awareness about the fundamental thing of our life, and come up with a feasible solutions.

Benefits of jumping rope

When was the last time did you try jumping ropes? May be in your P.E classes back in school. Next,What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says exercise or training? Gym, I guess? Well, for most people losing weight and staying in shape  means hitting the gym and running miles on the treadmill. But if you want to stay fit and active, going to the gym or registering yourself for any fitness class is not always necessary. All you need is a jumping rope, free space and a little motivation. Yeah, your read it right! Well, some of the benefits of jumping ropes are-
1)  Burns calories- Did you know that only a handful of exercises burns calories as jump rope do?  Even jumping at a moderate rate can already burn upto 10-16 calories a minute. Further more skipping a rope for 10minutes, is around the same thing as running an 8-minute mile. Jumping rope is thus as intensive and effective as any other exercises could be.
2) Improves bone-density- High calcium diet is widely known to increase bone density, but so thus, jumping rope. According to studies jumping for 10mins a day can provide greater bone-building benefits than running. Even for athletes simply jumping ropes is one of the top effective exercises for boosting bone density.
3) Develops agility- if you want to move quickly and feel light on your legs, jumping rope for 1mins every day, helps you achieve that. It also helps your body connect to your mind and make neural muscular adjustments, improving your balance. It targets your calves, knees and ankle joints.
4) makes a good brain workout- one of the amazing things about jumping ropes is that it doesn’t benefit your outer appearance, but also your brain. It has  stronger impacts on your cognitive functioning by improving the development of right and left hemisphere of your brain, thus boosting your memory and mental awareness.
5) Affordable and versatile- jump rope is easy to incorporate whether in your daily morning or evening routines. Depending on your free time it can be either used as a warm up or as an intensive exercise. All you need is just a rope, sufficient space , a flat surface to ensure your smooth rhythm and footing.
  So, now are you giving jump rope a chance? I hope you are. Then, what are your waiting for? Just grab a jump rope and enjoy the workout at the comfort of your own home. Losing weight while jumping rope would be the most effective way to stay fit during this pandemic. So just get started and work for getting your desired body, today!

Small amount of consumption of alcohol can be bad for the health

While daily consumption of alcohol increases apetite, studies have also associated alcohol with an increase in the amount of subcutaneous fat, both in men and women, especially around the abdominal area.Alcohol consumption makes certain changes in the body which results in weight gain. Researchers at the University of Liverpool found that daily consumption of alcohol increases the appetite by reducing the functioning of leptin (the hormone which manages and reduces hunger), which ultimately results in weight gain. 

As per the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, moderate use of alcohol is defined as two drinks a day for men and one for women, depending on alcohol content in the concerning drink. But recent research done on 2.7 crore people shows that even a small amount of alcohol can have a strong negative effect on people.

The results of the analysis showed that alcohol consumption has a strong association with obesity, as well as metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions such as obesity, abnormal blood sugar levels and high blood pressure, all of which increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

It was found that men who consumed either half or one standard drink a day (which is equivalent to 7.1 to 14 grammes of alcohol) were around 10 percent more likely to suffer from obesity and metabolic syndrome while the ones who consumed up to two drinks a day (which is equivalent to 14.1 to 24 grammes of alcohol) showed 22 percent to 25 percent increased risk of getting the disease.

Amongst all, the men who drank more than two drinks (24 grammes of alcohol) per day showed 34 percent higher risk for developing obesity and 42 percent increased risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome.

Benefits of drinking lemon honey water

Sipping on a warm cup of honey lemon water is both soothing and delicious. It has additionally been promoted as an elixir in the fitness and health world. There are claims that this drink can help melt fat, clear up acne and “flush out” toxins from the body.
Some of the benefits of this drink are-
1) Detoxifies body- 
The mixture of honey and lemon shield our bodies from micro organism and toxins. The antibacterial qualities of honey and the detoxifying presence of citric acid helps our bodies to do away with all the risky toxins. It helps in maintaining the overall digestive health of a person.
2) Aides in dropping weight- this drink helps you lose weight without much  difficulty over a month or two. However, for it to work efficaciously you will have to take the drink early in the morning, right after you wake up. This drink boosts one’s metabolism and fastens the process of dropping weight.
3) Reduces zits problem- Having this drink in the morning, has special advantages too, as it helps in tackling one’s acne and other skin issues. It helps in glowing up your skin as it gets rid of the pores and lifeless skin cells from your face.
4) Boosts immunity- The anti-bacterial property of the drink and the presence of vitamin C helps in strengthening one’s immunity. It, as a result helps in keeping a number of illnesses and ailments at bay.
5) Acts as diuretic- 
Doctors often prescribe diuretics to heal hypertension caused by extra quantities of fluids in body. However honey and lemon can act as a natural restoration treatment to eliminate the greater fluids through extra production of urine. This influence also goes hand in hand with detoxifying as our physique can lose undesirable toxins.This ultimately helps in normalizing the blood pressure and safeguarding our heart.
Regular consumption of honey lemon water would do wonder to your body. So if you desire to stay healthy and fit at the lowest of the expenses, than begin drinking this elixir everyday for atleast a month and see the effective changes occurring to your body.

The Absolute Beginner’s Guide To A Healthy Lifestyle

https://in.pinterest.com/

  The secret to a long & happy life lies in genuinely taking interest to follow a healthy lifestyle. Now a mere infatuation doesn’t work wonders unless you take some serious actions about it. Planning & implementation must go hand in hand for success. 

 Although many of us lead quite a stressful & demanding life. But what people tend to neglect is their health. Lost in the glitters of this golden & glamourous life accompanied with the intake of all sorts of junks & drinks. People forget to lead a healthy life. Thus causing to end up suffering from various ailments & hospital visits. So isn’t it wiser to spend some extra calories than spending some extra bucks upon hospital visits & medicines? 

  Following are the five ways enlisted to declutter an unhealthy lifestyle & replace it with rather a healthy one relating majorly with physical, mental & emotional well-being:

1] Healthy Eating Habits 

   To begin with, start with some good, wholesome & filling breakfast. As the word itself is self-explanatory, ‘break-fast’; refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. But ironically most teenagers these days, this fasting is often broken up by late-night snacks.

 Next following one must pay attention to healthy eating throughout the day. Avoid junks & get more of greens included in your meals. Make sure you have your meals at a constant time every day. Minor deviations more or less can be ignored. And don’t forget to grab some fruits, milk & sprouts as well. 

 Also if you’re an over-eater, inculcate a habit of eating in controlled portions. Also, give some time & chew your food properly. 

https://www.pexels.com/

2] Exercise Daily 

   Physical activities ensure a breakdown of the calories gained by your body. Thus it is the golden key to maintaining a healthy regime. Kick-start your day with some early morning yoga or a brisk walk. One may also consider joining the gym or aerobic classes if necessary. Bicycling is yet another excellent escape for the same. A great cardiovascular workout indeed. 

 Some more insignificant add-ons can be going for a trek or so on weekends, switching to taking stairs rather than lifts, or walking nearby places than using transport/vehicle. These small steps shall add up to make some positive changes in your lifestyle. 

https://in.pinterest.com/

3] Stay Hydrated

   Now traditionally it’s said that on an average a person must drink 8-ounce glasses of water daily. As it not only improves body metabolism but also boosts skin health & beauty. So if you are someone suffering frequently from skin problems, now you know what you do. 

 Constantly sipping down water regulates kidney filtration thus flushing out toxins from the body & boosting the immune system. That in turn helps to fight off diseases. 

https://www.pexels.com/

4] Get Some Good Sleep

    The brain clears away the debris accumulated by you during the day. Quality sleep can be marked by key points like : 

 a) falling asleep within 30 minutes 

 b) Sleeping at least 85% of the total time while in bed 

 Conventionally, it’s said to get a good 7-9 hours of solid sleep. Now if you are someone who’s insomniac it’s likely to result in you to some fatigue, forgetfulness & lack of focus. 

 Some trivial add-on steps to your bedtime routine may include some leisure book reading & freeing yourselves from laptop or phone screens. Also, consider keeping your cell phones at least 1m away from yourself. As the researchers have found out that, they emit radiations that may penetrate into the brain contributing to some poor sleep. 

https://www.pexels.com/

5] Music Therapy 

     Music is often used to promote mental & emotional health. It is said to also improve the quality of life for people with any sort of problem. Studies have shown that listening to your favorite tracks before bed can improve the quality of your sleep.

https://www.pexels.com/

Apples are…..poisonous??

We’ve all heard the tale of  The Snowhite and the seven dwarfs, and the famous scene when the cruel queen poisons Snowhite with an apple. We say that it is a tale and nothing real, but is it…??

Source: Pexels

Now you might have been ridiculed by this statement but no worries! According to healthline, apples are nutritious, can be good for weight loss, for your heart, have compounds that help in fighting with asthma antand has antioxidant properties etc. So, we’re good. But is it the apples that are poisonous…nope. The poison we are talking about resides in the seeds and the core of the apples….

  • Apple seeds

These fruits come from the family of Rosaceae . They include namely apricots, cherries etc. They contain a compound called amygdalin, which releases a gas when in contact with human digestive enzymes.

Suppose, you ate an apple, maybe you were in hurry and ate the core of apple as well. Well now the seeds are maybe chewed by you or directly swallowed. But the problem is, it doesn’t matter if you chew or swallow it, the second it comes in the contact with the digestive enzymes, in your stomach, amygdalin will start releasing the cyanide gas.

Source: Pinterest

  • Cyanide poisoning

The amygdalin , which has now come into contact with the enzymes, will start releasing  hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Now, you don’t mess with HCN because this gas is extremely poisonous. Infact, it is known to be one of the deadliest poisons ever existed. Cyanides made used in warfare and during mass suicide. Cyanide is present in many compounds and also occur naturally for eg. seeds. The seeds, not any seeds, but the seeds from Rosaceae  family, release the HCN gas as mentioned above.Now, what makes this gas so dangerous and lethal, particularly to humans? Well, cyanide, once into your bloodstream, prevent the cells from the usage of oxygen.As a result, the cells affected die. Cyanide is A cell is a basic unit of life, as the textbooks say, without it, life would not be possible for we, multicellular creatures. And living like an amoeba seems inconvenient, doesn’t it?

Cyanide is fatal for our vital organs, the heart and the brain.Cyanide is also present in  the cigerrates smoke, which makes it lethal, constant breathing theses smokes lead towards cancer. ( We are not telling that eating apple seeds will cause cancer, that’s a typical Google answer- No! The information given is purely on constant intake or breathing of cyanide)Cyanide is also used in the combustion of synthetic materials like plastic. There are many industrial uses of cyanide in various forms, one can only say that eating it would not  be a good idea now, would it?

One advantage which we get is the swallowing the cyanide is less toxic than actually breathing it.

 If all this does not give you  goosebumps then damn! You hardcore!

Source: Pinterest

•Research

According to the centres of Disease control and Prevention, only about 1-2  mg/kg is enough to be called fatal. So an average apple contains about  5 seeds, and daily consumption in prescribed as unhealthy.But this varies from person to person according to the health of a person. So, for death,  about 200 apples would be needed.

Okay, but if the apple seeds are fatal…..what about apple seed oil? Or  Apple juice?They are used widely, are they not poisonous?

The answer is that your body is strong enough to uphold small amounts of cyanide. A small amount of this compound is easily detoxified by the smart system of your body. So it’s alright if you accidentally gulp down a seed!

The problem  arises when you do this on daily basis. That’s when the real thing happens.Same is for the case of apple juice, they usually contain very small amounts of cyanide often detoxified by the body. But as a precaution, checking the quantity of cyanide is recommended.

  • Mode of cyanide poisoning
  1. Inhalation,through cigeratte smokes etc.
  2. Cyanide gas absorbed by the skin.
  3. Swallowing cyanide through the medium of amygdalin the seeds.

•History

In olden times, their was a woman who was fed up by her husband. Maybe due to constant abuse and intoxication (not specifically identified through the source)

So she devised a plan to kill her husband. Everyday she would grind apple seeds and mix them with milk and give it to her husband to drink. Now apple seeds are a very sneaky things. They usually smell like bitter almonds to some people as smelling it is purely genetic and usually limited only to some people.So, even if the husband did smell the milk, he might have just knocked the thought thinking it to be almonds. And the husband, eventually died. The later part is not available but I am sure she would have felt a tiny bit guilty because death through cyanide poisoning is horrible.

  • Symptoms
  1. Dizziness
  2. Headache
  3. Nausea
  4. Vomitting
  5. Rapid breathing and rapid heart rate
  6. Restlessness and Weakness

Now ,if you notice these Symptoms, it may not necessarily be cyanide poisoning so calm down!

But  a visit to the  doctor is advisable and important

  • Treatments

Now, after introducing you to this possibility, it is only fair, if the solution is given.There are not many treatments, but it can be cure through some supplements and antidotes. Supportive medical care can be convenient because the symptoms can show up at any point of time. For further information, one can contact

Email id: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Cyanide poisoning is not a great thing to go through with, but with caution  to not  eat apple or any seeds from the Rosaceae familiy or inhaling this gas. But in this complicated world, there are literally a million and more brutal ways death can occur, cyanide poisoning can atleast be identified!

Reference

healthiness.com

cdc

COVID-19: Don’t expect effective vaccine in near future

In a joint statement, experts of the Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), and Indian Association of Epidemiologists (IAE) said, “Vaccines do not have any role in current ongoing coronavirus pandemic control in India. It must be assumed that an effective vaccine would not be available in near future. We must avoid false sense of hope that this panacea is just around the corner.”

India has crossed tally of 36,91,166 in total with nearly 7 lakh active cases and around 65288 deaths. After all the practices of lockdown, corona cases have yet not under control. India is doing 10lakhs tests per day. Around total of 4 crores test has been conducted till now.

According to a press statement, the health minister noted that India was “much ahead’ than other nations in tackling the highly infectious contagion. He said, “The COVID-19 will significantly come under control by the Deepavali this year. The leaders and common people effectively worked together to fight the pandemic.” The minister had inaugurated ‘Nation First’ webinar series organised by the Anathkumar Foundation.

Reports are stating that vaccine could be in use for general public around the last quarter of year 2020. Depending on the results, some companies say their vaccines could be greenlighted for use as soon as this year.

Now, a handful are starting or nearing the final stage of testing. Approximately 170 Covid-19 vaccines are in development around the world. According to the World Health Organization, each one promising to protect people from the deadly coronavirus and allow them to go back to work and school.

To date, just one coronavirus vaccine has been approved. Sputnik V – formerly known as Gam-COVID-Vac and developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute in Moscow – was approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation on 11 August. Experts have raised considerable concern about the vaccine’s safety and efficiency given it has not yet entered Phase 3 clinical trials.

Indian Council of Medical Research director general Balram Bhargava on Tuesday confirmed that the trials for the ‘Covishield’ vaccine, jointly developed by the University of Oxford and Astrazeneca plc, have begun. ICMR is the secondary sponsor to the phase 2 and 3 trial of around 1,600 patients.

Serum Institute, which is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, had in June signed an agreement with British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to supply an additional 1 billion doses, principally for low- and middle-income countries.

As it is a contract manufacturer of the vaccine, the company had secured the Indian drug regulator’s approval to conduct a phase II and III trial as per regulations.

Screening and enrolment of participants in the trial is only done after getting approval from the ethics committee of the hospital. So far, seven hospitals, including BVDU, of the 17 sites have received ethics committee approval, according to the government’s clinical trial registry. As many of corona vaccines are in development across the world with promise of maximum effectiveness. But none of them is expected to be an anti-drug. Besides all of this, most of the vaccines are supposed to be a medicine of disease as a cure. But quality of them is still not confirmed.

Trudeau also said the government will invest C$126 million (72.3 million pounds) over two years to build a biomanufacturing facility at the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre in Montreal capable of producing up to 2 million doses of a vaccine per month by next year. Canada reached an agreement in principle on Monday with both Novavax Inc and Johnson & Johnson for millions of doses of their experimental coronavirus vaccines, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Canada`s two agreements follow separate deals with Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc announced weeks ago and are the latest example of countries rushing to secure access to vaccines.

Say goodbye to procrastination today

Do you often procrastinate? Well, everybody procrastinates at times. Procrastination is however found to be more common in students. If you are a student and you keep pushing your assignments to the next day, to be done and in the end, you are stress-induced and often had to pull an all-nighter to finish your work before the deadline, then you are a hardcore-procrastinator. Anyway, there’s nothing much to worry as there are certain ways by which you can get rid of this habit of procrastinating, and put your life together. All that you have to do is just implement the ways mentioned below in your life, and change your life for the better.
1) Create a schedule – make a schedule, and plan you work beforehand so that you don’t have to break your head just before the deadlines. Mark on the calendar or set reminders on your phone as to how many days you have to devote to one subject to be studied before an exam or assignments to be done before the deadline arrives. Plan your timeline according to your work schedule and sincerely adhere to it.
2) Set achievable goals- Do not try to do the entire assignment in one day, otherwise, it would look like a daunting task to ever get completed, and in the end, you would find yourself procrastinating on your couch. So, it’s better if you divide your work into small chunks and work accordingly. For example, completing one chapter of English, per day or doing some part of an assignment in a day would be fruitful. Try to set your goals for a day, and try to achieve it at any cost. Do not go to sleep before completing your task. Make it a rule!
3) Stay away from distractions – while working on your assignment or studying for your exam, try your best to stay away from any distraction that might pull you out from your already prioritised schedule. So, it would be better if you put your phone out of your sight and use it once you are done achieving your goal for the day.
4) Reward yourself- the human brain gets a boost to function at it’s best if it gets tricked of being rewarded for its work. So, reward yourself every damn time you achieve your set goal for the day. For instance after completing a chapter, reward yourself by watching one episode of your favourite series. Tell yourself about it, and your work would be done in no time, as you would be filled with motivation with the thought of getting the reward.
5) Time management – managing your time plays an important role in deciding if you would be able to complete the given task before the deadline. In order to get a good night’s sleep and complete your work on time, you have to be very careful in allocating your time to the different tasks in a day. So, prioritise your work, and devote time accordingly. For instance, if you have a lot to cover for a specific subject before the exam day, you need to devote more time to it, and less to the subject you have already studied earlier.
   Moreover, in order to complete your assignments, try to start doing from the one’s which you know would require more time than the rest. Start your work from the difficult part and then get to the easier ones. Once you complete the difficult assignments, you would get the motivation to complete the rest in no time. So, plan and use your time wisely.
   Next time, if you find yourself
procrastinating, apply the above-mentioned ways in your life, and you would see the difference for yourself!

Coronavirus Latest News: Top 10

  1. AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine reached Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States and is very close to get an approval. It could get launched before the November 3, 2020.
  2. The Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhuwaneshwar, is preparing for the second phase of the human clinical trial of ‘Covaxin’. There were zero side effects in the reports of first trials.
  3. The German scientists claim that they found that cancer drugs stop the growth of coronavirus. A total image of all correspondence channels of a human cell contaminated by coronavirus is recorded and observed for the first time. If these flagging pathways are interrupted and stopped, the virus can not duplicate and spread in the body anymore. Read the study here.
  4. Auckland, the largest city of New Zealand, successfully controls coronavirus spread and exits the lockdown.
  5. China has successfully controlled the transmission of coronavirus and did not find any new community spread reports of the coronavirus in the past few days. After Beijing and Shanghai, Wuhan reopens all the schools.
  6. Reopening of schools in the U.S. proves to record a lot more cases of coronavirus in the country when school children and staff are tested positive.
  7. Anti-mask protestors still on the rise in many parts of the U.S.
  8. Coronavirus protestors come out on the streets of Berlin in Germany, to fight for basic human rights.
  9. Peru, South America now has world’s highest coronavirus death rate.
  10. Japan plans to extend coronavirus loan for India to fight the pandemic.

Yoga in Daily life

To live in unison with oneself and with the physical environment is the desire of every human. However, in the present time, larger physical and emotional demands are perpetually placed upon several areas of life. The consequence: more and more people suffer from physical and mental tension like stress, anxiety, insomnia, And there’s an imbalance in physical activity and correct exercise. This is often why strategies and techniques for the attainment and improvement of health, still as physical, mental and religious harmony, are of nice importance, and it’s specifically during this respect that “Yoga in Daily Life” comprehensively offers aid to assist one’s self. Yoga is ancient, however, it’s not unchanged. By stopping for an instant to think about yoga’s past, we are able to acknowledge the crucial role that every one of us can and should play in shaping our future. The majority of people nowadays associate yoga closely with exercise and postures, referred to as asanas, designed to make up the physical culture. There is additional to yoga, but then the physical. Yoga additionally encompasses devotion, contemplation and meditation. 

Yoga is basically a religious discipline justifying a particular delicate science, which focuses on communicating harmony between mind, soul and body. It’s an art and science of healthy living. Yoga is obtained from the Sanskritic language word ‘Yuj’ which implies to combine together; the association of the individual self with the superior self. As indicated by the standard definition by Patanjali, yoga implies dominant changes of the soul. There are a couple of forms of yoga, however, the centre thought of every vogue is dominant in the soul. 

During this age, adherents of Patanjali Yoga gave another viewpoint by giving additional noteworthy significance to the asanas, kriyas and pranayama, for the purging of the body and soul. The filtration of body and soul helped specialists reach additional elevated levels of coaching, as Samadhi. This sort of yoga is called yoga. Yoga encloses devotion, rumination and meditation. Individuals who are inactive or senior, yoga is the best exercise for the development of mind and body to start their life energetically. Yoga helps to strengthen the bones and muscles and to improve posture for overall health and liveliness. As a result, we need not be in peak physical form to apply yoga, it’s the proper activity for inactive youth and for seniors who may not otherwise exercise. Instructors will facilitate modified yoga poses. We need not get down on the floor to apply yoga. In fact, we can do yoga merely by sitting on a chair.

There are eight forms of yoga-like Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Power Yoga, Sivananda Yoga and Yin Yoga. But now, we will focus on Ashtanga Yoga which is incredibly powerful.

What is Ashtanga Yoga?

Ashtanga yoga suggests (having eight limbs or branches) that focuses on muscle training develops physical strength. Practising Ashtanga rejuvenates our body, creating it stronger, toned and in addition versatile and controlled. Ashtanga Yoga as the name encompasses all eight limbs of yoga and develops each mental and physical health.

The 8 elements of Ashtanga Yoga includes:

  • Yamas: ethical codes or behaviour.
  • Niyamas: codes or behaviours that purify the connection we have a tendency to establish with ourselves.
  • Asana: a physical part of the yoga practices which has respiration, concentrating, balance, stability, strength, flexibility and areas of management.

  • Pranayama: set of practices associated with the management and enlargement of important energy or prana.
  • Pratyahara: apply mental yoga through the management of senses by varied exercises.
  • Dharana: exploitation of concentration techniques
  • Dhyana: a state of meditation, during which the mind remains immobile.
  • Samadhi: final state of realization or supreme consciousness by deep meditation.

Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga:

  • Makes the body additional versatile
  • Cleanses and detoxifies the body
  • Improves the health of the lungs
  • Improves blood circulation
  • Improves the facility of concentration
  • Builds apply 
  • Helps gain confidence
  • It offers strength to fight stress and tension

Yoga is something apart from physical health and material wealth. Yoga is the medication for nearly every drawback. As we have a tendency to apply yoga, it doesn’t solely enhance our physique however, helps in maintaining our inner peace and restful mind. Thus, there is just nothing that yoga won’t facilitate. Moreover, yoga isn’t simply a one-day practice; it is a long commitment.

Benefits of reading a book

Reading can easily become the most favourite recreational activity of children and even adults. One who reads often finds a friend in books. Some of the benefits of reading are-
1)Enriches vocabulary- the habit of reading enriches your vocabulary stock. Reading different books of different genres helps to build up your stock of vocabulary, ultimately helping you write better and become more creative. If you love creative writing, then the habit of reading is a must.
2) Improves concentration – Since reading a book requires a person to be focused on the story to understand it better, the habit of reading, therefore, increases your power of concentrating on one activity for a longer time. It helps in sustaining your focus on the story for a longer time, thus improving your concentration power which would ultimately, help you to remain focused on any work later.
3) A window to experience a new world- reading a variety of books makes you experience a world very different from yours. It thus acts as a window to experience an unseen, unknown world.  You get to learn about people, places and events outside your own experience. Reading thus, altogether transports you to another world. Not physically ofcourse!
4) Refreshes mind- reading a good book or a self-help book when you feel low, or depressed helps you to cope up with your situation and instantly puts you in a better mood. Reading a thriller when you are bored would refresh your mind and would also help you escape from your reality for a while. It acts as the best way of escapism. Try it and see it for yourself!
5) Reading develops empathy- the more you read literary fictions, the more you would find yourself in the story. Some characters would seem relatable to you while other characters would make you empathise with them. Reading is a completely enlightening experience at times as you begin to understand the writer’s perspective, feel the emotions of the characters presented in the story and flow with the narrative like the events are actually happening in front of your eyes. Reading thus increases your power to empathise with others and also broadens one’s imagination.
  Reading is, therefore, a fun activity altogether. People who rarely read books are missing a lot in their life. Next time you feel bored or depressed just get a book and start reading, you’ll find your mood automatically shifting. You won’t regret reading for sure! So what are you waiting for? Grab a book today and start reading it. Make it a habit to read at least one book per week. Have fun!

Veganism

Over the past few years, the concept of veganism has become largely popular. Many famous personalities have also started switching into veganism. According to Wikipedia, “Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.” There is a specific pattern of eating involved in it which includes only plant-based food items. Vegan people replace dairy products with plant based milks like soy, scrambled eggs with scrambled tofu, honey with maple syrup and similar other options. They also refrain from using other animal products like clothing from animal products and leather. It is a lifestyle which attempts to decrease animal exploitation as much as possible.

The term “vegan” was first coined by Donald Watson in 1944 when he founded the Vegan Society with a small group of vegetarians, who broke away from the Leicester Vegetarian Society in England. It is said that the term “vegan” was constructed by combining the first and last letters of “vegetarian.” At first it was used to mean “non-dairy vegetarian” and by May 1945 vegans started abstaining from “eggs, honey; and animals’ milk, butter and cheese”. They chose to not consume dairy or any other product of animal origin along with abstaining from meat like vegetarians. In 1951, the Society changed its definition to “the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals”. It is currently defined as “a way of living that attempts to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, be it from food, clothing, or any other purpose.” Interest in Veganism started from the latter part of 2010s as more and more vegan stores opened increasing vegan options. These have started to be increasingly available in supermarkets and restaurants across the world.

Reason behind going Vegan

Vegans generally choose to avoid animal products for reasons like Ethics, Health and Environment.

Photo by Bulbfish on Pexels.com

People who support the ethics of the practice are called Ethical Vegans who strongly agree to the belief that all creatures have the right to life and freedom. So, they oppose killing a conscious being to simply consume its flesh, drink its milk, or wear its skin — especially when alternatives are available. They also oppose the psychological and physical stress that animals may endure as a result of modern farming practices. For instance, the small pens and cages in which many livestock animals are forced to live between birth and slaughter, the farming industry’s practices of the grinding of live male chicks by the egg industry or the force-feeding of ducks and geese for the foie gras market. Ethical vegans also protest against animal cruelty and raise awareness about ending all forms of cruelty towards animals.

Some also choose veganism due to its health benefits. Plant-based diets may reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and premature death. Lowering the intake of animal products may likewise reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or dying from cancer or heart disease. One can also avoid the side effects linked to the antibiotics and hormones which are used in modern animal agriculture. Studies show that there is a relation between vegan diets and lower body weight and body mass index (BMI).

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

Vegan diets are high in dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and phytochemicals; and low in dietary energy, saturated fat, cholesterol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12. There is also the possibility of nutrition deficiency because elimination of all animal products may lead to nutritional deficiencies. Some of these can only be prevented through the choice of fortified foods or the regular intake of dietary supplements. Vitamin B12 supplementation is considered to be very important in some cases.

Some people avoid animal products and shift to veganism for the environmental impacts. It is widely known that animal agriculture is a very water intensive process. The UN report of 2010 suggests that animal products need more resources and produce a higher percentage of greenhouse gas emissions than plant-based options.

Benefits of walking

Walking is the most beneficial activity or exercise to start with if you want to get a fit and healthy body, without much efforts. The only thing you need is a sturdy pair of shoes to start your day.
Some of the benefits of walking are as follows-
1) Assists in losing weight- If you are overweight and want to lose weight fast and effectively then you must start your day by going out for a walk. Starting with brisk walking is the best way to eliminate excess fats from your all over your body over a period of time.
2) Reduces heart disease- Walking at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week can reduce your risk for coronary heart diseases. Walking is a must for every individual to keep your heart healthy.
3) Can help lower your blood sugar- walking is very beneficial for those suffering from diabetes. It helps to lower down your blood sugar level. Walking also keeps you safe from getting type 2 diabetes. Walking after meals proves beneficial for many. So, if going out for a walk in the morning gets difficult then you should at least walk for 15mins every day after taking your meal.
4) Boosts immunity- walking boosts your immunity. Studies have found that walking helps to keep cold and flu at bay. Apart from it, a regular walking habit protects people from many other diseases and make one’s immune system stronger than before.
5) Refreshes mind- strolling in the morning is quite refreshing. It helps you set a happy mood for the entire day. You will be filled with positive energy, and thus would be able to work better and efficiently the entire day.
  Walking, therefore, offers numerous benefits which we might not even be aware of at times so all we need to do is just reap the benefits by taking the first step towards a healthy life today!