healthfitnessnwellness

  Color as a form of therapy is not a new concept. In it, electromagnetic waves in the form of the visible spectrum (that we interpret as colors) are used to cure various body illnesses. It is an ancient mode of therapy that is being reinvented. There are attempts to elucidate its scientific basis and explanation. This would help to explore and discover newer dimensions of this old remedy. Color therapy (Chromotherapy) Newton talked about solid matter and moving objects while Einstein found out that mass and energy are dual expressions of the same universal substance. It is the vibration rate of its molecules that determines its form. When slow, it is physical matter and when the vibrations are intense it is energy. Thus, light is an energy and when it interacts with matter, color is formed. Each color has its own wavelength, frequency, and energy level. And human eye is adapted to see only this energy that has a wavelength between 380-780 nm. This is therefore, the visible spe...

  Seaweed snacks are new things on the supermarket shelves but are gaining popularity. Oceans occupy 70% of Earth’s area and hidden treasures lie within it. One of them is the seaweed. So what exactly are seaweeds and seaweed snacks? Are they healthy for humans? Where else are they used? Seaweed-the new superfood There is an increasing craze for seaweeds and seaweed snacks. They are part of the ingredients of foods, snacks, drinks and also skincare products. There are a lot of claims attached to this edible form of algae. The seaweed takes its nutrients from the seabed and is said to be loaded with them. They are a rich source of essential amino acids and hence are good for vegans because it is a plant. Seaweed is found in abundance in the sea beds and do not require fertilizers for their growth. Hence they form a good carbon-negative source. Hence their growth is eco-friendly and can help to save the planet. Seaweed-a form of algae [Source: Wikipedia] The great aspects of...

 The USA has surpassed every country of this world not only in the number of coronavirus cases but also in the deaths caused to the pandemic-producing virus. It has achieved the milestone of 500k coronavirus-related deaths. This is 20% of the world total deaths due to the infection. And the USA has only 4% of world's population. Also,  the number of deaths due to coronavirus are twice that in Brazil. Brazil is second in the list of heavily infected countries followed by none other than India.  500k coronavirus-related deaths in the USA   John Hopkins University has reported on its website that the USA has crossed the mark of 500k deaths due to coronavirus. This all has happened in less than a year that the pandemic status of the infection was declared by WHO last year.  The current President of the USA, Joe Biden held a ceremony in the White House on Monday evening to mark this sad news. He pleaded with people to wear face masks properly and at all times in publ...

 Pineapple has its origin in South America. It is loaded with multiple beneficial nutrients and anti-oxidants and several enzymes that fight inflammation, boost immunity, and aid digestion. Hence, it is a fruit for all ages and its delicious taste makes it a favorable and popular food item. Not only for the body, it is also good for the hair, skin, and bones.  Pineapple: the plant European explorers discovered this fruit on the island of Guadalupe in 1493. At that time, it was listed as a luxurious fruit. Even now in some countries such as Pakistan, it is relatively an expensive fruit. Not only the fruit, but its hard and spiky skin is also useful. Itis used to make vinegar and alcohol and can also be used as an animal food.  The main producers of this fruit are China, the Philippines, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Brazil, India, and Indonesia. There are some lab-created varieties that has extra sweetness and also different shape and skin type.  Pineapple (Source: Wikipedia) T...

  Covid-19 proved that 'the world is one' but.. . Medicine and Science are for the good of the public. They need to remain independent especially away from the greedy hands of politicians and business tycoons. But unfortunately, medicine fell prey to these two power and money-minded people during the current coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic showed the world that the 'World is One'. The deadly virus spread to each and every corner of the world and did not acknowledge man-made borders. But sadly, people of the world countries stood divided even in this type of a common emergency that struck the world. They formed parties and were involved in a blame game. Instead of targeting the virus, they began pointing fingers at each other and gave a good time for the virus to spread. The interests of the general public was neglected as always and truth was suppressed for the sake of economy. Politicians took this opportunity to grab media attention. Business houses too...

  COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for every single person on this Earth. It dramatically changed lives and many people suffered mentally due to it. The doctors were the frontline soldiers who had to fight it out with the viruses and patient’s illnesses due to it. Hospitals were full and intensive care units were overflowing. The patients, their families, and survivors, as well as the masses, had a lot of mental issues which rose during the pandemic. Mental health facilities were working full capacity to cope with these mental issues. They were there to help people cope with mental illnesses. But the burning question is who was taking care of these mental health professionals? The COVID-19 pandemic and mental health problems COVID-19 was a new virus and even doctors and scientists did not have full and in-depth knowledge about it. Yet they were forced to treat patients with their limited resources available against it. Preventive measures were in place but therapy was not...

  Now that former President of the USA, Donald Trump has been defeated and left office, a postmortem of his policies and actions has started. He was criticized initially when he was in the office also for his awkward health policies. His inadequate and delayed response to the coronavirus pandemic was also heavily rebuked. A new Lancet Commission report has stated that 40% of the deaths due to COVID-19 could have been prevented had Donald Trump promptly acted in the right manner. The complete details here! Lancet Commission report 2021 The new Lancet Commission report is out and it has stated that around 40% of the deaths due to coronavirus could have been averted. The Lancet Commission on Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era has put Donald’s response to the crisis as inept and insufficient. But the report also states that the roots of the country’s poor health outcomes run deep. Commission co-chairs Dr. Steffie Woolhandler and Dr. David Himmelstein are professors at th...

 A service animal could fly with the owner, as per the previous aviation rules. But this liberty was,misused by many owners who claimed that the animal they have is an emotional support one. This helped them to fly their pet even if the animal was not a service animal. But this animal often used to misbehave on the aircraft and became a public nuisance due to lack of training. Now the U.S. Department of Transportation has made a major change in its policies on such animals. Such emotional support animals has been excluded from the list of service animals and cannot fly with the owner.  Emotional support animals and their exclusion Emotional support animals used to fly on aircrafts until now. They were put in the category of service animals and could board an aeroplane with their owner. But now, no more. The U.S. Department of Transportation has plugged this major loophole. It has enacted a new revision to its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) as regards Traveling by Air with servi...

 The coronavirus is smarter and has mutated many times in the past more than a year.  Due to this,  patients are also presenting with new symptoms. And the symptom list is expanding. Now 7 more have been added. These are unusual ones and are seen in milder forms of the disease as well.  New symptoms added to coronavirus symptoms list The 3 most common symptoms of coronavirus affliction are fever, dry cough,  and loss of taste or smell. They are seen early in the disease process. The disease starts with these most of the times. The UK health officials from Warrington,  Cheshire have added 7 more to these classic symptoms. They are: sore throat, muscle pains and joint pains, Loose motions, headache, conjunctivitis, skin rash,  and discoloration of toes and fingers.  Thara Raj, Warrington’s director of public health states: " There have been several cases where a person who has tested positive for coronavirus in Warrington has had very mild symptoms,...

 Green alternatives for inhalers for asthma can effectively reduce greenhouse emissions and help the future of this planet. Read on to know how.  Greener alternatives for asthma Asthma care is heavily dependent on inhalers. They are essential for asthmatics and can be life-saving for them. But everything comes for a price and also potential side-effects. The inhalers use hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants to generate the mist. These atomize the active drug and pump it out for inhalational use of the patient. They reach the lungs for desired action.  But HFAs are potent greenhouse gases. A UK study has shown that 3.9% of the carbon footprint of the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom comes from these inhalers. Besides, they are also costlier than other forms of inhalational therapy for these asthmatics.  What are the eco-friendly alternatives? Eco-preserving or greener alternatives exist for asthma that are equally effective. These include dry powder ...

Research needs a lot of reading and internet seemed like a boon to the scientists of today because they could easily access the various related articles on the web. But it looks like greedy academic publishers are out to ruin it all. They are wanting to use science to make money. Instead of helping the development of science, they are on the route to exploit it for their personal gains. All this will have negative repercussion on science and scientists from the third world poor countries who cannot pay to access these knowledge-filled scientific websites.  Science is becoming a slave of business people Science and its knowledge is for everyone. But academic publishers are making it a business which could be disastrous. They take the copyright of these various articles from the authors and sell them to readers. They charge the authors or their institutes processing and publication fees for the publishing of their work. And additionally, they also charge the readers. A reader who wan...

The speed of vaccine production is limited. Hence the US government and health authorities had prioritized the people who needs to be vaccinated first. Hence the high-risk groups such as frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents were first vaccinated. But now news is that people not in line have also received the vaccines. How? The USA and its Covid-19 vaccine drive The USA is heavily affected by the Covid-19 virus. Cases and deaths due to it are high. The vaccination drive was launched more than a month back. The frontline healthcare workers and longterm nursing home residents were first on the list to be vaccinated. They are at high risk of exposure and also form the vulnerable group for Covid. Also vaccine production has its limits and hence supply is less than the demand.  But now news is pouring in that many people not on this initial list also got the vaccine out of turn. How did they manage it? Out of turn vaccination-reasons Arthur Caplan, head of the medical ...

Frontline workers were top priority in the process of vaccinating the population against the widespread coronavirus infection. Both the residents of nursing homes and their caretakers were to be vaccinated first, the health authorities and governments had decided. And now date revealed shows that only 38% of these people accepted the vaccination. The vast majority of them refused the vaccine.  Frontline workers and low vaccination rate The government and healthcare authorities had decided to first vaccinate the inmates of nursing homes and their caregivers. This was because they were at a high risk to contract the deadly infection and due to limitations of vaccine production. But now CDC has released data that reveals that only 38% of these took the vaccination. More than 60% have refused the vaccine.  Longterm nursing home (Source: NY Times) Also read, WHO team at Wuhan Anecdotal reports were in that the acceptance rate of vaccination was low amongst the frontline workers. An...

 The origin of coronavirus is being investigated by a WHO-led team. Experts visited the Huanan market on Sunday 31 January 2021 as part of their investigation to get the truth about how coronavirus pandemic started. The market was heavily barricaded for the visit.  The official visit of Huanan market in Wuhan Huanan market in Wuhan is considered the start point of the coronavirus pandemic that engulfed the world. It is a wholesale seafood wet market situated in China in Wuhan. WHO-led experts on an investigation trial visited this market amidst tight security. There was a high blue fence placed around the market. Additional barricades were outside this fence. The experts arrived and stayed for an hour. Later, they left in a convoy. They did not give any press conference to the gathered journalists.  Wuhan visit by experts (Source: U S News) Also, read about the Controversial company of Patanjali Experts and details of their China visit The experts arrived in China around ...