All posts by Sumana Rao

Don't worry about the people in your past; There's a reason they didn't make it to your future.
How community can prevent child abuse and neglect

How community can prevent child abuse and neglect

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month (NHO -US). As we live in community we have a role to play in the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

If parents and caregivers have support from family, friends, community and neighbors then, they are more likely to give safe and healthy environment and homes for their children.

If there is no support and if parents and families are isolated or must face problems alone then, parents and caregivers may be more likely to make poor decision that can lead to child abuse and neglect.

Child abuse can have long term impact on child’s physical, mental and social health. As we all belong to community we all have responsibility of taking care of children who grow around us.

As per child welfare research, more citizens and organizations are realizing that the best way to prevent child mistreatment is to help parents to identify and to develop skills to understand and meet children’s emotional, physical and developmental needs.

This protect children from any harm. Introducing parents to prevention strategy helps them to understand child’s needs.

How community can help with prevention of child abuse and neglect?

To support parents, communities can help families find the strength they need to raise safe, healthy and productive children.

  1. Get to know your neighbors: When there is support nearby, problems that parents facing seem less overwhelming.
  2. Watch for child abuse signs: It can be behavioral change or lack of adult supervision, withdrawn, maltreatment, reluctant with a person or people and various forms of physical abuses. Try talking to child and parent to get to know the truth.
  3. Help a family under stress: Offer to babysit, take care of children, help with chores and errands or suggest where parents can get help
  4. Reach out to children in your community: Always encourage children with kind words and smile at them. It means a lot to them.
  5. Be an active community member: Participate in community activities, volunteer in children hospitals, social service agencies, local schools, children libray and places where families and children are supported.
  6. Keep neighborhood safe: Pan a local national night out community event or start a neighborhood watch program. You will get know about children in the community and family better.
  7. Learn to recognize and report child abuse and neglect: Report your concerns will help to protect a child and will help family who needs attention.
  8. Educating parents: Let parents know about education programs that help parents develop positive parenting skills and decrease behaviors associated with child abuse and neglect. Talk to parents about parent mentor or leadership programs that provide role models and support to families in crisis.

Stable, safe and nurturing environment will help children to grow to into a good citizen. If community helps children and parents, then the community will see good, educated children in the neighborhood. To have healthy, responsible future generation we need to create a healthy and safe environment for kids.

For more information please visit: https://www.childwelfare.gov/

Image credit: https://www.childwelfare.gov/

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: April 17, 2018
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Why is it important to keep house clean ?

Why is it important to keep house clean ?

We all have busy life and let us admit it – cleaning house is not fun.

But can you live in a dirty, untidy place?

If you don’t clean and keep house dirty what happens?

It is a simple matter – for health reasons one must keep house clean.

Apart from health, there are other reasons that should make one to clean house or apartment where you live on regular basis.

Grandma is giving you 10 best reasons to keep house clean this summer.

  1. You will sleep better: Yes, this is true! After cleaning the house you will feel more calm and stress free. This will make you to go bed without dust and dirt around the house. Having clean sheet and clean pillows gives you more relaxing sleep.
  2. Good for children: Infants and young children while crawling will pick up things from floor. They are susceptible to microbes as immune system is yet to develop. You don’t want mildew, dirt and other particles entering the tender body. Keeping house clean and sanitized keeps children healthy and happy.
  3. You will have friends visiting your home: Your home will welcome your friends. A dirty house does not invite people and makes visitors move away. If you want to socialize and have a community life consider keeping your kitchen and entire house clean. It will motivate you and boosts your confidence to meet and have fun with people that will make you feel good. 
  4. You will be creative: When you clean the house, you will find things that are disorganized and kept in places where they should not be. If you focus on cleaning your creativity starts to flow and you might find an interesting hobby like decoration, interior designing, indoor gardening etc.
  5. Finding stuffs: Long lost stuffs, that you might have thought you lost can be found during cleaning. Going through mails, papers, clothes, household items will help you find many things and you may find it useful again. This reduces your cost and you also get your valuable stuff back!
  6. Makes life easy: Cleaning also involves organizing. It means you will find stuffs easily and when you want. You will know where exactly things are kept and it helps you accomplish work easily by end of your day. Keeping house clean means fewer distractions and more work done!
  7. You will prevent pest infestation: When you keep house clean you won’t invite pests like cockroach, mice, mosquitoes etc. If you don’t let clutter pile up, you won’t be having pest problem at home.
  8. Extend life for home materials: Regular cleaning of household items and materials make it lose longer. For example cleaning carpets regularly keeps carpet look and smell fresh. Similarly, bathtubs, dining table, sinks, trashcans – smaller to big things should be kept clean.
  9. You will spend less time cleaning: Regular cleaning makes it easier to clean house fast. It saves lot of time and house always looks fresh and inviting. It also saves time for you and family. It becomes less stressful and you will relax without the clutter around you everyday.
  10. Improves quality of the indoor air: Air quality of the place where you live is important for health. Regular cleaning reduces allergies, asthma and any breathing problem. It reduces dust bunnies, mildew and animal dander. Keeping your apartment clean is essential for maintaining a healthy and safe living environment. It helps to reduce the risk of disease and allergies, as well as improving air quality. Regular cleaning can help you stay organized and on top of your chores so that you can focus on the things that matter most. Check out apartments for rent in Worcester Mao

Whether a big or small home – A clean organized home is always a beautiful home. Organizing helps you to focus on quality than quantity. It gives happiness and spreads joy in the family.

www.healthylife.werindia.com – Listen to grandma

Image credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/apartment-architecture-cabinets-chairs-373548/ (Free CC0)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: April 12, 2018
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Parents learn how to prevent heat related illness

Parents learn how to prevent heat related illness

Infants and young children cannot understand or able to express the dehydration and tiredness that happens to their body because of exposure to heat during summer.

Parents must be careful about the exposure of young bodies to over heat that could cause several types of illness.

CDC has several tips on their website and we are sharing few tips from them here:

What are the different ways to keep children safe from heat?

Keep kids cool and hydrated

  1. Never leave infants or children in a parked car, even if the windows are open.
  2. Dress infants and children in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
  3. Make sure they’re drinking plenty of fluids. Stay away from cold drinks or drinks with too much sugar.

Heat_Related_Illness

Never leave kids in a parked car

  1. Even when it feels cool outside, cars can heat up to dangerous temperatures very quickly.
  2. Leaving a window open is not enough- temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open.
  3. Children who are left unattended in parked cars are at greatest risk for heat stroke, and possibly death.

Tips for traveling with children

  1. Never leave infants or children in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
  2. To remind yourself that a child is in the car, keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the child is buckled in, place the stuffed animal in the front with the driver.
  3. When leaving your car, check to be sure everyone is out of the car. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.

Do Not Leave Children in Cars: Cars can quickly heat up to dangerous temperatures, even with a window cracked open. While anyone left in a parked car is at risk, children are especially at risk of getting a heat stroke or dying. When traveling with children, remember to do the following:

  1. Never leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
  2. To remind yourself that a child is in the car, keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the child is buckled in, place the stuffed animal in the front with the driver.
  3. When leaving your car, check to be sure everyone is out of the car. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.

How to stay cool? Tips for parents to keep family safe from heat during summer.

  • Wear Appropriate Clothing: Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
  • Stay Cool Indoors: Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library—even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.
  • Keep in mind: Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, they will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off. Use your stove and oven less to maintain a cooler temperature in your home.
  • Schedule Outdoor Activities Carefully: Try to limit your outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, like morning and evening hours. Rest often in shady areas so that your body has a chance to ecover.
  • Pace Yourself: Cut down on exercise during the heat. If you’re not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity. Get into a cool area or into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.
  • Wear Sunscreen: Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated. If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out. Continue to reapply it according to the package directions. Tip: Look for sunscreens that say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels- these products work best.
  • Avoid Hot and Heavy Meals: They add heat to your body!

For more please visit : https://www.cdc.gov/

Image courtesy Heat related illness Instagram: CDC.gov

Image credit: Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Trataka yogic gazing for Eye health

Trataka yogic gazing for Eye health

To purify eyes and to improve eye vision by strengthening eyes muscles one can practice Trataka yoga and meditation.

This yoga technique helps to sleep and improves focus, improves weak eyesight and concentration.

It also improves ability to visualize and willpower. It is a cleansing practice of yoga that helps to gain the energy.

How to perform Trataka?

There are three phases to practice trataka. Before getting into phase sit in meditation pose.

First phase:  Fix your gaze on a moving object and hold it for a minute or two. If your mind starts thinking about something, notice the thought and let it go. Try to keep the eyes open. If eyes are tired and watery close the eyes gently and let the heat release through watery eyes. After a minute or two move into second phase.

Second phase: Light an traditional oil lamp or candle.  Keep the candle at your chest level at arm length. Watch the flame by keeping eyes still. Candle will have three different colors. Base is reddish, middle is white and upper part is somewhat bright followed by slight smoke at tip. Concentrate on brighter part by focusing your eyes. Once eyes feel tired gently close the eyes. When you close the eyes image of flame appears within. Concentrate on that image but do not try to hold the image within with pressure as it fades away. Having image within concentrate on your meditation.

Third phase: This involves Sun, raising Sun. Morning apply little ghee (clarified butter) on your eyes and look at Sun only when it is red or orange and still Sun is touching horizon. Stare at Sun during Sun raise if it does not hurt your eyes and you should be able to keep your eyes fixed on raising Sun. This practice takes about 10 minutes either morning or one can stare at Sun during Sun setting time in the evening. When your eyes are tired and watery gently close the eyes, and go through meditation.

Practicing trataka not only is beneficial for eyes, it is relaxing for the mind as outside noise and distraction will be disconnected during practice.

**Trataka is not recommended for those who are psychologically affected and suffering from mental trauma.

Image credit: www.werindia.com

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on:
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Non-O blood groups are at greater risk of Cardio Vascular Disease

Non-O blood groups are at greater risk of Cardio Vascular Disease

Tessa Kole, A Lead researcher at University Medical Center Gronigen, The Netherlands based on her studies on blood group and cardiovascular event has said that blood group of a person should be considered in the future as part of risk assessment in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Study was conducted on the data that included more than 1.3 million adults who were part of eleven cohorts across the nine studies. Team of scientists used this data to know the impact of blood group on coronary, cardiovascular and fatal coronary events.

Kole and team revealed that blood types and conditions related to cardiovascular system including heart attack, heart disease and failure and, cardiovascular death – all these are related to a person’s blood group!

Research team identified 771,113 individuals with A,B and AB group and 519,743 with O blood group for the coronary events analysis. Among this pool of individuals, 1.5 % (11,437) non-O group individuals experienced a coronary event when compared to 1.4% (7220) of people with O blood group. In combined cardiovascular events 2.5% (17449) individuals with non-O group experienced cardiovascular event compared to 2.3% O group.

Explaining her team’s findings Tessa Kole says “We demonstrate that having a non-O blood group is associated with a 9 percent increased risk of coronary events and a 9 percent increased risk of cardiovascular events, especially myocardial infarction.”

The reason for non-O group are at higher risk for cardiovascular events is possibly due to higher concentration of a blood clotting protein namely von Willebrand factor which has been associated with thrombotic events. Further Blood group A individuals are known to have higher cholesterol and all non-O blood group are at higher risk for heart failures due to galectin-3 which is linked to inflammation (in cardiovascular system.

As per Ms. Kole “more research is needed to identify the cause of the apparent increased cardiovascular risk in people with a non-O blood group. Obtaining more information about risk in each non-O blood group (A, B, and AB) might provide further explanations of the causes.”

As mentioned in BBC News report Dr Mike Knapton, an associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said the findings would not have a large impact on the current guidelines used to assess someone’s risk of a heart attack. “Most of a person’s risk estimation is determined by age, genetics (family history and ethnicity) and other modifiable risk factors including diet, weight, level of physical activity, smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.

“People with a non-O blood group type – A,  B and AB – need to take the same steps as anyone wanting to reduce their CVD risk.

Irrespective of whether your blood group is O or non-O group it is always better to take care of your diet. Quit smoking, balance your fat intake, include more vegetables, fruits and fibers in your food. Thinking “my blood group is O and it is okay to have cholesterol” is like inviting CVD to your door steps. If you’re unsure of your own particular blood type, you can easily find out by using a home blood type test kit or you can ask your physician to order a blood type test for you. Science discovers the facts and gives information and we need to take care of our health and lead healthy life!

References:

Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: April 6, 2018
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Are you able to prevent and manage your stress properly

Are you able to prevent and manage your stress properly

Not all stress is bad. But chronic stress can lead to health problems. Preventing and managing chronic stress can lower your risk for serious conditions like heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and depression.

When people are under stress, they may feel:

  • Worried
  • Angry
  • Irritable
  • Depressed
  • Unable to focus

Stress also affects the body. Physical signs of stress include:

  • Headaches
  • Back pain
  • Problems sleeping
  • Upset stomach
  • Weight gain or loss
  • Tense muscles
  • Frequent or more serious colds

What causes stress? Change is often a cause of stress. Even positive changes, like having a baby or getting a job promotion, can be stressful. Stress can be either short-term or long-term.

Common causes of short-term stress:

  • Needing to do a lot in a short amount of time
  • Experiencing many small problems in the same day, like a traffic jam or running late
  • Getting lost
  • Having an argument

Common causes of long-term stress:

  • Problems at work or at home
  • Money problems
  • Caring for someone with a serious illness
  • Chronic (ongoing) illness
  • Death of a loved one

You can prevent or reduce stress by:

  • Planning ahead
  • Deciding which tasks need to be done first
  • Preparing for stressful events

Some stress is hard to avoid. You can find ways to manage stress by:

  • Noticing when you feel stressed
  • Taking time to relax
  • Getting active and eating healthy
  • Talking to friends and family

Read these tips to prevent and manage stress

  1. Plan your time. Think ahead about how you are going to use your time. Write a to-do list and figure out what’s most important – then do that thing first. Be realistic about how long each task will take.
  2. Prepare yourself.
  • Prepare ahead of time for stressful events like a job interview or a hard conversation with a loved one.
  • Stay positive.
  • Picture what the room will look like and what you will say.
  • Have a back-up plan.
  1. Relax with deep breathing or meditation.
  • Deep breathing and meditation are 2 ways to relax your muscles and clear your mind.
  • Try meditating for a few minutes everyday
  1. Relax your muscles. Stress causes tension in your muscles. Try stretching or taking a hot shower to help you relax. Check out these stretches you can do.
  2.  Get active.
  • Do strengthening activities – like crunches or lifting weights – at least 2 days a week.
  • Be sure to exercise for at least 10 minutes at a time.
  • Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of physical activity. Try going for a bike ride or taking a walk.
  • Regular physical activity can help prevent and manage stress. It can also help relax your muscles and improve your mood.

6. Eat healthy. Give your body plenty of energy by eating healthy foods – including vegetables, fruits, and lean sources of protein.8

7. Drink alcohol only in moderation. Avoid using alcohol or other drugs to manage stress. If you choose to drink, drink only in moderation. This means no more than 1 drink a day for women and no more than 2 drinks a day for men.

8. Talk to friends and family. Tell your friends and family if you are feeling stressed. They may be able to help

9. Get help if you need it. Stress is a normal part of life. But if your stress doesn’t go away or keeps getting worse, you may need help. Over time, stress can lead to serious problems like depression, anxiety, or PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

If you are feeling down or hopeless, talk to a doctor about depression. If you are feeling anxious, find out how to get help for anxiety. If you have lived through an unsafe event, find out about treatment for PTSD.

Over time, chronic stress can lead to health problems. Managing stress can help you:

  • Sleep better
  • Control your weight
  • Get sick less often
  • Feel better faster when you do get sick
  • Have less neck and back pain
  • Be in a better mood
  • Get along better with family and friends

Being prepared and feeling in control of your situation might help lower your stress.

Lots of people need help dealing with stress – it’s nothing to be ashamed of!

Reference: https://healthfinder.gov

  • https://healthylife.werindia.com/body-and-mind/get-relief-body-pain
  • https://healthylife.werindia.com/your-road-to-healthy-life/stress-type-gut
  • https://healthylife.werindia.com/body-and-mind/dealing-moody-person
  • https://healthylife.werindia.com/body-and-mind/massaging-can-help-body-mind
Author: Sumana Rao | Posted on: April 4, 2018
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