World Arthritis Day 2007

This year the theme for World Arthritis Day is the small things that matter

for people with arthritis/rheumatism - those everyday challenges around

the home, when traveling, shopping or at school, college or in the workplace.

--
Dr Marwah

World Mental Health Day 2007

World Mental Health Day, which falls on October 10th, 2007, embodies the theme

'Mental Health in a Changing World: The Impact of Culture and Diversity'.

Culture can influence many aspects of mental health - including how individuals from a given culture communicate and manifest symptoms, coping style, the kind of family and community supports - and their willingness or reluctance in seeking treatment.


The goal of World Mental Health Day is to address stigma and to show that mental illness is neurobiological - not a scarlett letter with which to be ashamed or a weakness of someone's character. And this year's theme highlights the importance of culture and diversity among us all.
--
Dr Marwah

World Sight Day 2007

World Sight Day, 11th October 2007

World Sight Day 2007 focuses on Blindness and Childhood.

 

KEY MESSAGES

 

 Every 5 seconds someone in our world goes blind…

and a child goes blind every minute

 

 Almost 50 percent of the world's 1.4 million blind children

are needlessly blind

 

 Blindness in Children accounts for one third of the total

economic impact of blindness worldwide

 

KEY FACTS

VISION 2020: The Right to Sight programmes address blindness in children as a major public health priority

Almost 50 percent of the world's 1.4 million children living without sight are needlessly blind, from avoidable causes

The main causes of blindness in children are also causes of child mortality – up to 60% of children who lose their sight will die within a year

Survivors will spend 40 years without sight. Thus, blindness in children accounts for nearly one third of the global economic cost of blindness, though it represents less than 4% of the overall magnitude

Visual impairment in a child limits participation in opportunities for education and self-development

Over 90% of blind children receive no schooling and few are able to realise their full potential

Refractive errors are the most important cause of avoidable visual impairment in school-age children

Care before and after birth can help avoid blindness from malnutrition, Vitamin A deficiency, conjunctivitis of the newborn and retinopathy of prematurity

Look after your child's sight – with vitamin-A rich foods, eye hygiene and safety

Glaucoma and cataract affect children too – but treatment is more challenging than in adults!

Early intervention is key to ensuring that children with eye problems have the best possible outcomes

Vision loss in a parent can turn a child into a carer, preventing access to education – vision care for the caregiver is care for the child

 

 

Dr Marwah

Yoga and its Benefits

Yoga - Introduction

Yoga is practiced all over India daily. Everyday people are reporting their wonderful experiences with Yoga, the transformation of being, taking you beyond the here and now. In one wonderful session of Yoga, people get to practice a number of things; some Yoga poses (asanas) breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation and chanting. In Yoga you get to learn basic terms like Mudras, Bandhas and Chakras. Best of all, Yoga is fun and relaxing while, at the same time, being delectably challenging to beginners. The intermediate and advanced students, who insist on continuing their practices, get more and more of the taste of this great 5000+ year old wondrous way of life. Yoga is for the body, mind and spirit. You learn to use your body, breath and mind to stretch, relax and energize yourself. So get up and go!

Yoga is all about feeling good; feel the blood surging through your veins, the energy pulsating through your nerves, the bliss coursing through your whole being. Best of all, Yoga is apt for all, regardless of age, color, caste, creed or religion; from the healthiest to the sickest, from the richest to the poorest, from the whitest to the blackest. And here are some of the specific – and immense – benefits of yoga:

Benefits of Yoga

• Brings down stress and enhances powers of relaxation
• Boosts physical strength, stamina and flexibility
• Bestows greater powers of concentration and self control
• Inculcates impulse Control
• Helps in rehabilitation of old and new injuries
• Intensifies tolerance to pain and enhancing mental clarity
• Boosts functioning of the immune system
• Enhances posture and muscle tone
• Improves blood circulation
• Results in healthy, glowing skin
• Cleanses and improves overall organ functioning
• Bestows peace of mind and a more positive outlook to life
• Infuses a sense of balance and internal harmony

Best of all, Yoga is highly therapeutic. Some of the ailments proven to be relieved, reversed and even healed through the practice of Yoga are acidity , allergies, Alzheimer disease, anemia, anger, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, back pain, bronchitis, cancer, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue, colitis, common cold, constipation, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, eye problems, facial wrinkles, gastro-intestinal disorders, headaches, heartburn, hemorrhoids, hepatitis, high blood pressure, hypertension, immune-deficiency, impotence, menopause, menstrual cramps, migraines, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, nervous tension, obesity, osteoporosis, prostate, enlargement, sciatica, skin problems, sleep apnea, slipped disk, sterility, stiffness, stress, insomnia, intoxication, thyroid problems, kidney stones, stuttering and stammering, urinary tract disorders for women, vaginal infections and many more...

So, if Yoga has varied and immense benefits, what exactly is Yoga?

Yoga is a 5000 year old science whose teachings were first imparted not in a classroom or Gurukul, but on the battle field. In the epic Mahabharata, the sage, Lord Krishna is first said to have imparted the teachings of Yoga to his despondent student Arjuna. Around 1500 years later, another sage, Patanjali, went on to enunciate, for the benefit of humankind and eternity, the way to reach the summom bonum of life through a series of 195 aphorisms (sutras) in his epic treatise The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Derived from the Sanskrit root "Yujir Yogey" meaning to unite, to yoke, to join, to put together, Yoga is not about mind over body. On the other hand, Yoga is about developing harmony between them. In Yoga, you use your mind to perceive (diagnose) and guide (heal) your body. Never control, let alone force it!

Yoga is a way of life, a conscious act, not a set or series of learning principles. The dexterity, grace, and poise you cultivate, as a matter of course, is the natural outcome of regular practice. You require no major effort. In fact trying hard will turn your practices into a humdrum, painful, even injurious routine and will eventually slow down your progress. Subsequently, and interestingly, the therapeutic effect of Yoga is the direct result of involving the mind totally in inspiring (breathing) the body to awaken.

Contrary to popular – or unpopular – perception, Yoga positions are not about how far you can reach to touch your toes or how many repetitions you can perform. It is all about paying attention to how your body feels; how it moves without that excruciating pain or agony! Yoga is all about breathing correctly about integrating that breath into your being. Conscious Yoga doesn't call for you to force or strain your never or sinew. Meaning to say, right Yoga is learning how to do things right, do less that gets you more!

Ironically, by doing less – correctly – Yoga enhances your strength, energy, vitality, flexibility and levels of endurance. Accordingly, your body and mind start to become more balanced until, eventually; you find it takes so much less energy to move through the day. Yes, any and everyone can do less…and get a lot, lot more!

Click here to see some Yoga Poses Animation  http://www.yogawiz.com/yoga-poses-animation.php

--
Dr Marwah