The ever changing climate has become a major concern in today’s time.
One of the interesting studies has revealed that hot climates due to
global warming and less variation in seasonal temperatures lead to a
faster life strategy, less focus on the future and lower self-control.
The
study explains why some violent crime rates are higher near the equator
than other parts of the world. Researchers developed a new model that
goes beyond the simple fact that hotter temperatures due to global
warming seem to be linked to more aggressive behaviour.
“Climate
shapes how people live, it affects the culture in ways that we don’t
think about in our daily lives,” said Brad Bushman, from the Ohio State
University in the US.
“We believe our model can help explain the
impact of climate on rates of violence in different parts of the world,”
said Paul van Lange, from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). The
researchers call the new model CLimate Aggression, and Self-control in
Humans (CLASH).
Many studies have shown that levels of violence
and aggression are higher in hot climates that are caused due to global
warming, researchers said.
“But the two leading explanations of
why that is so aren’t satisfactory,” Bushman said. The General
Aggression Model suggests hot temperatures make people uncomfortable and
irritated, which make them more aggressive. “But that doesn’t explain
more extreme acts, such as murder,” Bushman said.
Another
explanation known as Routine Activity Theory is that people are outdoors
and interacting more with others when weather is warm, which leads to
more opportunities for conflict.
However, that does not explain
why there is more violence when the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius
than when it is 24 degrees Celsius even though people might be outside
under both circumstances.
The CLASH model states that it is not
just hotter temperatures that lead to more violence, it is also
climates that have less seasonal variation in temperature.
“Less
variation in temperature, combined with heat, brings some measure of
consistency to daily life,” said Maria Rinderu of VU. That means there
is less need to plan for large swings between warm and cold weather.
The
result is a faster life strategy that is not as concerned about the
future and leads to less need for self-control, researchers said. People
living in these hot climates are oriented to the present rather than
the future and have a fast life strategy they do things now.
With a
faster life strategy and an orientation toward the present, people have
to practice less self-control, he said. That can lead people to react
more quickly with aggression and sometimes violence.
A
lot of these home remedies have their roots in Ayurveda and you'll find
that some of the ingredients like ginger, turmeric and honey have been
named in ancient texts as natural healers. Traditional medicine is still
being practiced in many of our homes and is a testament to the phrase
'old is gold'.
We're in no way implying that traditional medicine
should be the only form of treatment. We are only trying to understand
the reason why Ayurvedic or traditional home-remedies have been around
for so many years. They're safe, natural,
in a lot of cases effective and have almost no side effects. A medicine
strategy report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) corroborates
this - " For millions of people, herbal medicines, traditional
treatments, and traditional practitioners are the main source of health
care, and sometimes the only source of care. This is care that is close
to homes, accessible and affordable. While the affordability of this
method of treatment might stand out, they are also a great way of coping
with the relentless rise of chronic non-communicable diseases."
Ayurveda experts will tell you that before you can identify the ideal remedies, you need to figure out which of the three doshas (vata,
pitta, and kapha) describe your body type and characteristics best. The
remedies will be custom-made depending on the combination of your doshas and only then will your health be restored.
1. Acid Reflux
- Ugh, you're uneasy, bloated and have an awful burning sensation in
the stomach and chest? Yep, you've got acidity alright. You can pop an
over-the-counter antacid or you can do what I've been doing for years-
mix some ginger and lemon juice and have it. The lemon juice will help
cut the acidity and ginger which is rich in Vitamin C and magnesium
works as a brilliant anti-inflammatory and natural painkiller.
2. Cold & Cough
- Let's get something straight, everything that's been told to us isn't
factually correct. For example, you've been told 'don't step out in the
cold with wet hair or you'll catch a cold' but that's actually just an
old wives tale. Some mild sneezing and coughing is a common occurrence
especially through season change when your immunity is at its lowest.
Unlike a stomach ache, cold and cough lasts for a few uncomfortable days
and so does not have an immediate cure. But there are a few remedies
which if executed properly can help bring great relief and eventually
cure.
Warm some milk, add turmeric and drink it. Turmeric is a
real power spice and you'll find that it features in a lot of other
Ayurvedic home remedies as well. It's a powerful anti-inflammatory and
has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties as well. It's the holy
grail of good health as it helps you fight cough, cold and chest congestion.
Steam
inhalation is an age-old remedy. Back in the day, people used a
container called a Neti Pot filled with saline water to clear clogged
nasal passages. The spout was placed inside one nostril and the water is
allowed to seep in and pass out through the other nostril. This is an
effective (yet tough to implement) method to clear out the nasal
passage. The other way is to breathe in steam through your nose from a
pot of boiling water. Steam loosens a stuffy nose.
3. Stomach Pain
- We've all had those early morning stomach troubles where either we
park ourselves in the washroom for too long or sometimes not at all.
Ayurveda suggests a cure for both. There are a few reasons why you could
be constipated: you've not had enough water to drink, you've eaten too
many dairy products, the new-age irritable bowel syndrome and so on. But
whatever be the reason, a few home remedies could work as a great quick
fix. Take 2-3 spoons of Triphala with warm water at night as it works as a great laxative and leads up to an easy next morning. Also add more olive oil, sesame oil or ghee to your diet. Another great idea would be to eat a spoonful of flaxseeds before you sleep because like Triphala, it also works as a great laxative.
Another
common occurrence is bloating and on a scale of 1 to 10 it's definitely
more uncomfortable than constipation. Have we got any home-remedies to
help ease that out? Yes, of course we do. Add some cumin seeds or jeera to boiling water, drain and drink. It'll cleanse your system and bring relief.
4. Acne - Unlike the other conditions mentioned in this article, that awful looking zit
actually speaks for itself. It's very rarely a problem of the skin but
more of what you ate or what you didn't. Too much fried food, irregular
meals, constipation, heat-creating foods - any one of these could have
done the job. Take some Neem leaves, crush them and apply on the acne.
The leaves work as a great anti-bacterial and cooling agent. You can
also rub an orange peel a few times a day for great results. My
grandmother used to do this for me as a kid- mix sandalwood powder with
rose water and apply as a pack twice a day.
5. Nausea
- There could be a number of reasons why you're feeling nauseous: food
poisoning, overeating, indigestion, motion sickness, allergy, an ulcer
amongst others. According to Sunil V, Joshi, author of the book
'Ayurveda and Panchkarma, The Science of Healing and Rejuvenation',
"Nausea is our body's way of telling us that there's food that wasn't
digested properly and the body wants to eliminate it. A lot of times,
people try and treat nausea with coffee or an antacid which temporarily
makes us feel better. But what it does is create an imbalance and what
was nausea by the day turns into acidity by the night. Nausea is and
with time, it only aggravates the condition."
So what can we do about it? Mix some ginger, honey
and lemon juice, and this should instantly make you feel better.
Another great fix is one I usually try when I feel nauseous in the
mornings. I drink thin, mostly runny buttermilk with a bit of pepper and
it helps calm my nerves and makes me feel lighter
Sending text messages on a smartphone or iPad can change the rhythm of brain waves in humans -- a finding that has significant implications for brain-computer interfacing, gaming and driving.
People communicate increasingly via text messaging, though little is known on the neurological effects of smartphone use.
To
find out more about how our brains work during textual communication
using smartphones, a team led by Mayo Clinic researcher William Tatum
analysed data from 129 patients. Their brain waves were monitored over a
period of 16 months through electroencephalograms (EEGs) combined with
video footage Dr Tatum found a unique 'texting rhythm' in approximately
one in five patients who were using their smartphone to text message
while having their brain waves monitored. "We believe this new rhythm is
an objective metric of the brain's ability to process non-verbal
information during use of electronic devices and that it is heavily
connected to a widely distributed network augmented by attention or
emotion.
The
researchers asked patients to perform activities such as message
texting, finger tapping and audio cellular telephone use in addition to
tests of attention and cognitive function.
Only text messaging produced the newly observed brain rhythm, which was
different than any previously described brain rhythm. The unicity of
the texting rhythm compared to other forms of mental stimulation could
be caused by the combination of mental activity with motor and auditory-verbal neurological activity. The 'texting rhythm' was also found in iPad users.
The
researchers hypothesised that the presence of a different brain wave
rhythm while using mobile, handheld devices might be caused by their
smaller screens, which require more concentration.
"There is now a biological reason why people shouldn't text and drive - texting can change brain waves
Making probiotic-rich dairy products, such as yogurt and milk, a part
of daily diet may cut the risk of breast cancer in women, claims a new
study.
Bacteria that have the potential to abet breast cancer are present in
the breasts of cancer patients, while beneficial bacteria are more
abundant in healthy breasts, where they may actually be protecting women
from cancer, researchers said.
These findings may lead ultimately to the use of probiotics such as
yogurt and milk to protect women against breast cancer, they said.
Scientists from Lawson Health Research Institute in Canada obtained
breast tissues from 58 women who were undergoing lumpectomies or
mastectomies for either benign (13 women) or cancerous (45 women)
tumours, as well as from 23 healthy women who had undergone breast
reductions or enhancements.
Women with breast cancer had elevated levels of Escherichia coli and
Staphylococcus epidermidis, are known to induce double-stranded breaks
in DNA in HeLa cells, which are cultured human cells, researchers said.
“Double-strand breaks are the most detrimental type of DNA damage and
are caused by genotoxins, reactive oxygen species, and ionising
radiation,” said researchers.
The repair mechanism for double-stranded breaks is highly error prone, and such errors can lead to cancer’s development.
Conversely, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, considered to be
health-promoting bacteria, were more prevalent in healthy breasts than
in cancerous ones. Both groups have anticarcinogenic properties,
researchers said.
For example, natural killer cells are critical to controlling growth
of tumours, and a low level of these immune cells is associated with
increased incidence of breast cancer.
Streptococcus thermophilus produces anti-oxidants that neutralise
reactive oxygen species, which can cause DNA damage, and thus, cancer,
researchers said.
Lactation might not even be necessary to improve the bacterial flora of breasts.
“Colleagues in Spain have shown that probiotic lactobacilli ingested by women can reach the mammary gland,” said Reid.
“Combined with our work, this raises the question, should women,
especially those at risk for breast cancer, take probiotic lactobacilli
to increase the proportion of beneficial bacteria in the breast?,” he
said.
Besides fighting cancer directly, it might be possible to increase
the abundance of beneficial bacteria at the expense of harmful ones,
through probiotics
