Back Pain

Back Pain – Its Causes And Remedial Measure

Key words: Back pain, Back pain causes, Chronic back pain

Back pain must have occurred at least once in each and everybody’s life. In one way it is an unavoidable phenomenon. Statistical analysis shows that ladies are less susceptible to this than gents. The pain can be chronic or severe. Discomfort arises out of the pain and one may find it difficult to attend to his normal duties. One can see lot of advertisements about pain killers. The effectiveness of these is doubtful.

Before going into the causes of back pain, one has to know the anatomy of the human back. The back of our body is composed of bony lumbar spine (vertebrae) which consists of discs. The back bone includes bone, muscles and elastic tissues. The spine which is placed at the centre of back has twenty four block bones. It holds the body upright and ensures its mobility. Inter-vertibral discs cushion in between the blocks is to keep the bones separated from rubbing each other.

Symptoms

The basic symptoms of back pain are-

-Pain in the region of middle or lower back.

-Difficulty in bowel /bladder movement

-Pain in the hip/waist region

-Difficulty in movement

Causes

The main back pain causes are-

-Fall or injury

-Obesity

-Sedentary life style

-Old age

-Strenuous work

-Wrong diet

-Smoking

-Depression

-Maintaining wrong posture

-lifting of heavy things

Remedial Measures

The remedial measures can be grouped under two classes-

Temporary

-Use of pain killer medicine

-Ice pack

-Oil massage

Long Term Measures

Do’s

-Maintain proper posture

-Use hard bed

-Regular exercise

-Proper rest and sleep

Don’ts

-Do not use high heeled shoes

-Do not sit continuously in chair

-Avoid carrying heavy things

-Do not stand for long hours

If proper care is taken in day to day activities, back pain can be avoided. However for chronic back pain, a physiotherapist should be consulted.

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Posted by Ramachandran at 8:55 PM 1 comment: 

Sustainable development - the need of the hour

 Sustainable Development - The need of the hour

Development of a nation is a must. There must be all round progress so that people can lead a comfortable life. The basic requirements of a person are food, shelter and clothing. With the increase in population coupled with overall progress in the industrial field, natural resources are getting depleted day by day. Environmental pollution adds to the miseries.

While meeting the demands of the present, there must be sufficient resources so that the future generation can lead a comfortable life. This is called the sustainable development.

The issue of sustainable development was discussed in detail at the Earth Summit held at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 1992. In addition to the increase in production, the protection of environment  and conservation of natural resources are extremely important.

Strategies for sustainable development

The suggested strategies are:

-       Use locally available materials

-       Adopt the 3 R (Reduce, Recyle, Reuse) approach

-       In order to inculcate a sense of awareness, educate the general public

the steps to be followed for a sustainable living

Conservation of Resources

The main natural resources are: Water, Energy and Land.

Water: is a very important natural resource. This is required for humans and animals. Water is required for drinking, cooking, washing, toilets, agriculture and industries. A recent study has revealed that while the rainfall is reducing, the atmospheric temperature is rising. At the same time, the demand is increasing with the increase in population. Steps should be taken to reduce the wastage of water in the domestic and industrial sectors. As far as irrigation of agricultural crops are concerned, drip irrigation should be practiced. The suggested steps for conservation are:

-       Leakage of water should be identified and repaired immediately

-       Taps should be closed when not in use

-       The waste water should be treated and reused for gardening and washing floor.

-       Arrangements should be made for rain water harvesting

-       Losses in irrigation water should be reduced by lining of canals and by adopting drip irrigation

Energy: We can’t imagine a life without energy. It is required for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. The suggested steps for conservation of energy are:

-       Switch off lights and fans when not in use

-       Use CFL lamps and tube lights

-       Use pressure cooker

-       Keep the vessel covered with a lid when cooking

Land: Land is largely covered with forests, wet lands, grass lands, agricultural lands and human settlements. Land gets degraded due to soil erosion, water logging, salinity, desertification and various developmental activities. The suggested steps for soil conservation are:

-       Slow down the movement of water when it flows along a slope

-       Have more vegetation cover

-       Adopt afforestation

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Health is Wealth

Key words: health, wealth, happiness, life style, fate

Health is wealth; no doubt for it! If health is lost, everything is lost. We can’t lead a happy life without proper health. To a certain extent, it is within our hands to take correct steps for maintaining good health.

But certain things are beyond our control. The other day I went to a leading hospital where one of my relatives had been admitted for treatment. She was in the intensive care  unit  under artificial respiration. Her whole body was covered with different tubes and wires.  She was not in a position to talk, drink water or take meals. She has no financial problems. Children  are grown up and employed. Husband is her side throughout the day. About five years back, she had under gone a kidney transplant operation. She is in the mid fiftys.

Here comes the question - what is life? Is it beyond one’s control and leave it to the mercy of God. It is very difficult to give a proper reply. Money is required to lead a comfortable life. But health is a prerequisite for all that. Some diseases are hereditary and perhaps difficult to diagonise and have a proper treatment while some are due to wrong life style of the present day. Improper and unbalanced food, lack of physical exercise, smoking, too much intoxicating drinks, mental tension and worry are some of the factors contributing to life style diseases like diabetes, high bold pressure, cholesterol, obesity etc.

Remember the old adage – “Prevention is better than cure. “ Instead of going for a treatment at a later stage, it is always better to take preventive steps from early child hood itself. Children should be educated in their school days itself the importance of good  life style and the necessary steps to be followed. In addition to the importance of maintaining physical health, it is very essential to have advice on the mental health also.

But unfortunately it is seen that due attention is not paid with regard to mental health. A positive attitude towards  life  devoid of hatred, anger, envy and tension is of utmost importance. A contended life, with a friendly and helping attitude towards fellow members of the society without looking towards religion, cast and  creed is the attitude that is required.

 

Onam -The festival of Kerala

 

Onam – The festival of Kerala

 Malayalees (people of Kerala) through out the world celebrate ‘Thiruvanam’ in the month of Chingam ( August).. The storey behind this festival is as follows. King Mahabali was ruling Kerala at that time. People were extremely happy and were leading a comfortable life – devoid of theft, fight and quarrel. Devas became jealous of Mahbali and requested Mahavishnu to take some effective steps to curb the influence of Mahabali. Vishnu then took  the form of a Brahmin boy (Vamana) and approached King Mahabali. The king enquired as what the Brahmin boy wanted. Vamanan told that he wanted only three feet of land. Vishnu then suddenly grew in size and measured the whole world and heaven in two steps and for the third Mahabali showed his head. Vamanan then pushed Mahabali down to the earth.

As requested by Mahabali , he was granted permission to visit his country men once in a year , on the  Thivonam (onam) day. Keralites all over the wordl celebrate Onam with full of vigour and vitality. They make flower beds (pookkalam)  in front of their houses. Family members assemble in their ancestral houses and will have sumptuous  meals. Different types of games are  played. All wear new dresses.

 

      Mental Tension and Worry- The disease of the modern world

The other day Sindhu, a B Tech final year student told me that she   forgot to write her roll number in the answer book of the examination.

I asked her why?

She answered that she was under  mental tension and as such forgot to write her roll number.

People of all ages starting from a kindergarten student to a senior citizen from all strata of the society -  house wife, engineer, doctor, politician etc  all are under tension in one way or the other.

But is it possible to avoid this mental tension?

Swami Vivekananda says “The calmer we are, the less disturbed our nerves, the more shall we learn, the better our work be”. But seldom we can find a  person leading a calm and peaceful life. Now a days nervous tension has become a regular phenomenon. Some of the stress induced diseases are heart attack and high blood pressure. The degree of tension may differ depending on the place and situation. Some may be undergoing tension in his office , others may suffer in their home and some others may be undergoing both in their office and home as well.

Stress can’t be completely avoided but it can be controlled to a certain extent. Stress can be positive as well as negative. It is the negative stress which causes nerves tension, anger, jealousy and other problems.

If we are able to remain calm under any provocation, to a large extent tension can be minimized. For this we should have strong will power and faith in our self. We should learn to live in the present forgetting the past. By practicing meditation, to a large extent, tranquility can be maintained and also  regular   practice will help in removing negative feelings.

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Happy and Comfortable Life

Key words- Happy life, health, human being, emotions

Everybody in this world  want  to lead a healthy and happy life.  But is it possible to quantify happiness?

Definitely not.  It is a state of mind and depends on the attitude of the person concerned.

The basic requirements of a human being are food, shelter and clothing. One can have a meal of a small quantity of cereal while another can have a five star meal; one can have a small one room hut  for self and family while another can have a multi storey house in a large estate; while one can have a single piece cheap dress while anther can have a gold laced costly three piece suit.

In addition to the basic amenities, one should have good physical and mental health . Then only one should be able to enjoy life to its full extent.

But what is the  state of most of the people of this present day world. From a small baby to a grownup youth to a senior citizen, almost all are under some sort of pressure due to the mental agony ,worry and tension. It can be on the personal account, official account or on social account.

Is there a remedy for all these problems? Yes, it is there; but one has to find the solutions himself and practice accordingly..

If one can control his emotions, his anger, resentment and greediness and then have a positive outlook towards life, one will be able to lead  a happy and joyf

 

Environment and Value Education

Key words: environment, value ,education, natural resources

Education can be through formal and informal channels. Value education with respect to environment should help  to bring  a new sustainable way of life. The environmental value education should inculcate   natural and cultural values, social justice, human heritage, equitable use of resources, managing common property resources in the minds of all persons.

In the present day world we are giving importance to development only with out understanding thee problems caused due to destruction of our environment. Our mind set should be changed so that the development should be with due regard to sustainability or equitable use of resources. The unsustainable development leads to economic growth of the rich and powerful while it makes the poor more poorer

Values in general sense deal with ones own principles and standards.

Values in environment education focus on the following aspects- effective utilization of natural resources, keeping the surroundings clean, excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in farms, effective use of water and power etc. All these issues are connected to the quality of human life.  They deal with respect for nature. These  values  will help  in leading a  healthy, productive and happy lives in harmony with nature.

Environmental values are the feelings that help us in preserving nature. Values are not constant. Concepts of what constitutes 'right' and 'wrong' behavior change with time. Once shooting of animals was taken as a sport. But now it is considered as a crime. It indicates that value system changes with time.

We have to develop a sense of values that are linked with a better and more sustainable way of life for all people. The positive feelings that support environment include a value for nature, cultures, heritage, and equity. We must also pay attention to  aspects that have negative impacts on the environment. These include our attitude towards the degradation of the environment, loss of species, pollution, poverty, corruption in environmental management and the rights of future generations.

We need to adopt the values to bring about a better way of life on earth for all people and all living creatures.

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