Every 2-seconds, someone in the country is in need of blood. Every year our nation requires about 4 Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 5 Lakh units of blood are available.
It's not that, people don't want to donate blood. Many, many times it's just that they are not aware of a need. As a result, needy people end up going through a lot of pain.
Make donating blood with regularity a part of your life. The process is simple and safe. Minority groups have something special to give. Different groups of people have different percentages of blood types. Thus, it is important that every ethnic group participate in blood donation programs.
Remember: you can save the life of a friend, a neighbor, and also a family member.
Who can donate blood ?
* All donors must be at least 17 years old or older.
* All donors must weigh 100 lbs. or more. Donors who undergo apheresis should weigh at least 110 lbs.
* All donors must be in good health. You can still donate if you are taking medication although it depends on your state of health and the type of medication.
In donating blood, you are converted into a hero in many ways.
* Your donation can save the lives of up to 3 patients. These patients can have cancer, be victims of accidents, be in need of organ transplants or have chronic illnesses.
* Sometimes blood can be utilized to replace lost blood from people in life or death situations.
* Plasma, the yellow liquid portion of the blood, reduces bleeding through coagulation factors.
* The platelets that also assist in the coagulation are fragile cells that are needed by patients with leukemia and other cancers. These platelets should be transfused within the first five days after the donation.
* The red cells help to treat anemia and increases the blood's ability to transport oxygen during surgical procedures.
The need of the hour is to identify peoples, corporates who can organise Blood Donation Drives in their offices. Also residential societies, who can organize Blood Donation Drives.These are very easy ways to organise Blood Donation Drive and do not require major planning in terms of time.
After all, saving a life does not require heroic deeds. You could just do it with a small thought and an even smaller effort by saying "yes" to blood donation.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
In search of LIGHT !!
Of the 1.12 Crore visually Challenged in India, as many as 3 million suffer from corneal problems.And out of this 3 million, 26% are children.
It is estimated that India needs 2 lakh donated cornea every year, but gets only 15,000 donors. Out of this 15,000, almost half are not found fit for restoring vision.
The waiting list in some eye banks is as much as two years.
Ophthalmologists say that less than 1% of those who pledge their eye actually donate them.
So it's time, we stress on EYE DONATION, rather than EYE PLEDGING.
It is estimated that India needs 2 lakh donated cornea every year, but gets only 15,000 donors. Out of this 15,000, almost half are not found fit for restoring vision.
The waiting list in some eye banks is as much as two years.
Ophthalmologists say that less than 1% of those who pledge their eye actually donate them.
So it's time, we stress on EYE DONATION, rather than EYE PLEDGING.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
OBC quota: stirring wider issues
In this country of vast socio-economic disparities and inequities, it is unjust and misleading to define merit in an academic fashion. Should there not be a way by which `merit' is translated into actual relief for the millions of our people in rural and tribal areas?
THE ESCALATING stir by medical students against the implementation of the 93rd Amendment, which is now Article 15(5) of the Constitution, is as symptomatic as it is significant. No one, neither the academics nor the politicians, had any problem when the constitutional amendment enabling the state to make laws to empower the socially and economically disadvantaged sections, besides the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, was being made. But now that the stage of its implementation has come, the volcano of grievance has begun to erupt.
Of course, we are familiar with the excuse. Medicos, and those who justify and fuel their sense of grievance, argue that they did not know that this was in the offing! And the Knowledge Commission, with the iconic Sam Pitroda at it apex, may provide it a façade of legitimacy. But what this implies is indeed too significant to be glossed over. Doctors enjoy a significant place in society. "Next to God, doctor" is a popular saying in this country.
Doctors should be the custodians of the health not only of individuals but also of society. It is for this reason that medical ethics are more stringent than professional and business ethics in other sectors of service. But to serve society, one has to know it. To know is to engage; and to engage is to love. Very often ignorance results not from the dearth of information but from the lack of love. We are ignorant because we are indifferent. And we are indifferent largely because we are self-absorbed. Self-absorption implies an outlook that limits one's relationship to the larger context — the country in this instance — wholly to what one may get out of it. This implies blindness to what one can do for the country.
The natural outcome of this outlook is hypersensitivity to `rights' and total insensitivity to `duties'. For the medical fraternity, or any educated person, to confess they did not `know' that the 93rd Amendment could have had this sort of implication is simply to expose themselves to ridicule. So the alibi of ignorance is unacceptable.
If it is not ignorance, what is it then? This brings us to the endemic problem in India: our appallingly poor track record in implementation. We have a plethora of progressive and pro-active laws. Our Constitution is one of the finest achievements of legislative wisdom anywhere in the world. We are almost there, but we will not make it. We dribble the ball with splendid adroitness up to the D and, then, dither. Our national score sheet would have made far better reading but for this.
Yet, it is not as though nothing has been implemented. The implementation index of a scheme or a policy remains sensitive to the social segment that is meant to benefit from it. Measures that benefit the privileged classes are less vulnerable to executive neglect or red tape. Correspondingly, it is far more difficult to implement policies that are likely to affect the advantages of the privileged segments of the society.
Honest governance
The mark of honest governance is the executive will to bridge the gulf between the letter and the spirit — between legislative mandate and executive action — of the Constitution. In the present case, the present government, especially Arjun Singh, the Human Resources Development Minister, needs to be commended for its clarity of vision and earnestness of purpose. We do the nation a gross injustice in seeking to subvert the implementation of the Constitution on the apprehension either that merit is likely to be compromised in the process or that a party is likely to benefit electorally in its wake. To obstruct the initiatives of a government to implement a constitutional amendment is to legitimise bad governance as well as to widen the gulf between law and policy.
The generic issue here is not whether or not the 93rd Amendment should be implemented. It is, on the contrary, whether we can tolerate the rule of law or not. Our commitment to the rule of law is not proved when we root for it when upholding the rule of law is to our advantage. It is proved more authentically when we stand by it even when it is in conflict with our personal or class interests. The insistence of the medicos that Article 15(5) of the Constitution should not be implemented is, in principle, akin to the stance of the Sangh Parivar that matters pertaining to faith are above the law. What is equally disturbing is the indication that the intellectual and academic elite of this country are losing their faith in a fair debate. The quota issue could have been openly and objectively debated.
But that option was foreclosed and the way of coercion was adopted precipitously. This is worrisome because this is not a one-off instance. We have been watching sadly the erosion of a culture of robust debate in our parliamentary democracy. Rather than debate, issues are clinched by holding Parliament to ransom. A more alarming symptom of our contrived collective faith in violence, and the corresponding loss of faith in debate and dialogue, cannot be thought of. This is the road we should not, and cannot afford, to take.
The anxiety that the proposed reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) will subvert merit seems plausible but is, in fact, purblind. Much depends on what we mean by merit. In this country of vast socio-economic disparities and inequities, it is unjust and misleading to define merit in an academic fashion. Shall we not say that merit, in the context of health care, should also include compassion and the spirit of service? Should there not be a way by which `merit' is translated into actual relief for the millions of our people in rural and tribal areas?
The time has come for us to consider making rural and tribal placements, at least for a period of three years, compulsory for all prospective doctors. A doctor who is indifferent to social justice is an aberration. Also, there is no reason why the state should subsidise the medical education of the rich, mostly to enable them to find greener pastures abroad or in lucrative private practice in the metropolises. The cost of medical education must be indexed to the paying capacity of students.
Shocking events, one after the other, in recent times alert us to the ethical degradation that the medical profession is going through. The fact that medical students can, without any qualms, resort to sharpening the edges of their demands with the suffering of the people, by boycotting work, needs to be seen a symptom of this larger malady.
The root of ethical behaviour is the ability to see one's interests in harmony with the larger interests. Upsetting this ethical balance, this human equilibrium, in the interest of protecting one's own sectarian or class interests is a trend that needs to be seen clearly for what it portends for the society as a whole.
It strikes at the root of creating a wholesome social order without which neither merit nor progress makes any sense.
THE ESCALATING stir by medical students against the implementation of the 93rd Amendment, which is now Article 15(5) of the Constitution, is as symptomatic as it is significant. No one, neither the academics nor the politicians, had any problem when the constitutional amendment enabling the state to make laws to empower the socially and economically disadvantaged sections, besides the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, was being made. But now that the stage of its implementation has come, the volcano of grievance has begun to erupt.
Of course, we are familiar with the excuse. Medicos, and those who justify and fuel their sense of grievance, argue that they did not know that this was in the offing! And the Knowledge Commission, with the iconic Sam Pitroda at it apex, may provide it a façade of legitimacy. But what this implies is indeed too significant to be glossed over. Doctors enjoy a significant place in society. "Next to God, doctor" is a popular saying in this country.
Doctors should be the custodians of the health not only of individuals but also of society. It is for this reason that medical ethics are more stringent than professional and business ethics in other sectors of service. But to serve society, one has to know it. To know is to engage; and to engage is to love. Very often ignorance results not from the dearth of information but from the lack of love. We are ignorant because we are indifferent. And we are indifferent largely because we are self-absorbed. Self-absorption implies an outlook that limits one's relationship to the larger context — the country in this instance — wholly to what one may get out of it. This implies blindness to what one can do for the country.
The natural outcome of this outlook is hypersensitivity to `rights' and total insensitivity to `duties'. For the medical fraternity, or any educated person, to confess they did not `know' that the 93rd Amendment could have had this sort of implication is simply to expose themselves to ridicule. So the alibi of ignorance is unacceptable.
If it is not ignorance, what is it then? This brings us to the endemic problem in India: our appallingly poor track record in implementation. We have a plethora of progressive and pro-active laws. Our Constitution is one of the finest achievements of legislative wisdom anywhere in the world. We are almost there, but we will not make it. We dribble the ball with splendid adroitness up to the D and, then, dither. Our national score sheet would have made far better reading but for this.
Yet, it is not as though nothing has been implemented. The implementation index of a scheme or a policy remains sensitive to the social segment that is meant to benefit from it. Measures that benefit the privileged classes are less vulnerable to executive neglect or red tape. Correspondingly, it is far more difficult to implement policies that are likely to affect the advantages of the privileged segments of the society.
Honest governance
The mark of honest governance is the executive will to bridge the gulf between the letter and the spirit — between legislative mandate and executive action — of the Constitution. In the present case, the present government, especially Arjun Singh, the Human Resources Development Minister, needs to be commended for its clarity of vision and earnestness of purpose. We do the nation a gross injustice in seeking to subvert the implementation of the Constitution on the apprehension either that merit is likely to be compromised in the process or that a party is likely to benefit electorally in its wake. To obstruct the initiatives of a government to implement a constitutional amendment is to legitimise bad governance as well as to widen the gulf between law and policy.
The generic issue here is not whether or not the 93rd Amendment should be implemented. It is, on the contrary, whether we can tolerate the rule of law or not. Our commitment to the rule of law is not proved when we root for it when upholding the rule of law is to our advantage. It is proved more authentically when we stand by it even when it is in conflict with our personal or class interests. The insistence of the medicos that Article 15(5) of the Constitution should not be implemented is, in principle, akin to the stance of the Sangh Parivar that matters pertaining to faith are above the law. What is equally disturbing is the indication that the intellectual and academic elite of this country are losing their faith in a fair debate. The quota issue could have been openly and objectively debated.
But that option was foreclosed and the way of coercion was adopted precipitously. This is worrisome because this is not a one-off instance. We have been watching sadly the erosion of a culture of robust debate in our parliamentary democracy. Rather than debate, issues are clinched by holding Parliament to ransom. A more alarming symptom of our contrived collective faith in violence, and the corresponding loss of faith in debate and dialogue, cannot be thought of. This is the road we should not, and cannot afford, to take.
The anxiety that the proposed reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) will subvert merit seems plausible but is, in fact, purblind. Much depends on what we mean by merit. In this country of vast socio-economic disparities and inequities, it is unjust and misleading to define merit in an academic fashion. Shall we not say that merit, in the context of health care, should also include compassion and the spirit of service? Should there not be a way by which `merit' is translated into actual relief for the millions of our people in rural and tribal areas?
The time has come for us to consider making rural and tribal placements, at least for a period of three years, compulsory for all prospective doctors. A doctor who is indifferent to social justice is an aberration. Also, there is no reason why the state should subsidise the medical education of the rich, mostly to enable them to find greener pastures abroad or in lucrative private practice in the metropolises. The cost of medical education must be indexed to the paying capacity of students.
Shocking events, one after the other, in recent times alert us to the ethical degradation that the medical profession is going through. The fact that medical students can, without any qualms, resort to sharpening the edges of their demands with the suffering of the people, by boycotting work, needs to be seen a symptom of this larger malady.
The root of ethical behaviour is the ability to see one's interests in harmony with the larger interests. Upsetting this ethical balance, this human equilibrium, in the interest of protecting one's own sectarian or class interests is a trend that needs to be seen clearly for what it portends for the society as a whole.
It strikes at the root of creating a wholesome social order without which neither merit nor progress makes any sense.
The Psychology of Quitting Smoking
Many experts believe smoking is only about 10% physical addiction and a whopping 90% psychological addiction. Your body will recover fairly quickly from nicotine withdrawals (the worst symptoms usually abate in three days or less), but your psychological dependency on cigarettes can be much more difficult to defeat.
One way to combat this is to do a bit of self-analysis before giving up cigarettes.
Make a list with two columns. Label column one "Why I Started Smoking" and label column two "Why I Want To Quit Smoking."
In column one, list all the reasons you can remember as to why you started smoking in the first place. Was it peer pressure? Rebellion? Did you think it made you look cool? Did it make you feel like a grown-up? Really try to remember the exact reasons why you started smoking and write them all down.
Now look over that list. Do any of those reasons still apply in your life today? Probably not.
If you're like most people, you will see that your reasons for becoming a smoker are no longer valid, are often just silly, and are easily outweighed by the risks to your health and your family's well-being.
So let's move on to column two... Why do you want to quit smoking?
This one may seem obvious, but it can be a bit tricky. You really need to take some time and think hard about this. Don't just list the obvious health reasons. You've been reading the Surgeon General's warnings for years with little effect, so you need to come up with reasons that truly have meaning for you.
The things most people write down will NOT help you quit smoking...
- I don't want to get lung cancer.
- I don't want to have a heart attack or a stroke.
- I'd like to live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up.
Those are all good reasons to quit smoking, certainly... but they deal in "possibilities" rather than in specifics.
Sure you MIGHT get lung cancer, you MIGHT have a heart attack or a stroke, you MIGHT die young and miss out on seeing your grandchildren grow up...
...or you MIGHT NOT! You're not likely to break a strong psychological addiction based on what MIGHT happen. Your mind will work hard to convince you that it won't happen to you! Instead, list health problems that you are already experiencing.
Your list should point out things in your life that you are actively unhappy about and are STRONGLY MOTIVATED to change. In order to break your psychological addiction, you need an arsenal of new thoughts and desires that are stronger than your desire to smoke!
Here are the types of things you want to put in column two...
Why Do I Want To Quit Smoking?
1. Health Reasons
- I get so out of breath when I exert myself even a little bit. Just vacuuming the house makes me pant and gasp.
- My feet are always cold. This could be due to high blood pressure and poor circulation associated with smoking.
- I have a nasty wet cough and I have to blow my nose way too often. Mucus build-up is the body's reaction to all the toxins and chemicals in cigarette smoke and could be a precursor to serious respiratory disease. Even if I don't get cancer, I don't want to be one of those people who has to tote oxygen bottles around everywhere.
- I'm always tired. Could it be that my body is using up all its energy trying to eliminate the toxins and chemicals from cigarettes?
2. Vanity Reasons
- Smoking causes premature aging and drying of the skin. I don't want to look like a wrinkled up old prune!
- My fingers, fingernails and teeth are all tobacco stained. Disgusting! How embarrassing.
- When I get on the elevator after a smoke break at work, everyone wrinkles their nose and tries to edge away from me because I reek of cigarette smoke. I feel like a pariah. It's embarrassing to always be the big "stinker" on the elevator. I feel like I have no self-control.
- My breath is awful. Kissing me must be like kissing an ashtray. I spend a fortune on breath mints.
3. Financial Reasons
- If I save all the money I used to spend on cigarettes, I'll have enough to take a vacation in Cancun (or some other warm tropical place) every winter!
- I could use the money to pay off my credit cards!
- I could donate money to my favorite charity or sponsor a child. My cigarette money could make the world a better place!
4. Family Reasons
- My family can stop worrying about me.
- My spouse will have to find something new to nag me about. Just kidding, honey!
- My children will be proud of me and (hopefully) they'll never start smoking themselves, having seen firsthand what a nasty destructive habit it is.
5. Cleanliness Reasons
- The walls used to be white. Now they're a nasty dirty-looking brown. I need to repaint... again!
- I stink, my car stinks, my house stinks, everything I own reeks of cigarette smoke. I can't even lend a book to a non-smoking friend because they can't stand the smell of smoke permeating the pages!
Do you see yourself in any of the items listed? You may have many more reasons of your own. Find as many compelling and emotional reasons to pursue smoking cessation as you can think of and write them all down. To quit smoking, you need YOUR reason to kick the nicotine habit.
If you can re-train your mind to think of smoking as a silly and self-destructive thing to do, then you're almost sure to succeed. And if you need something to do with your hands... try knitting!
One way to combat this is to do a bit of self-analysis before giving up cigarettes.
Make a list with two columns. Label column one "Why I Started Smoking" and label column two "Why I Want To Quit Smoking."
In column one, list all the reasons you can remember as to why you started smoking in the first place. Was it peer pressure? Rebellion? Did you think it made you look cool? Did it make you feel like a grown-up? Really try to remember the exact reasons why you started smoking and write them all down.
Now look over that list. Do any of those reasons still apply in your life today? Probably not.
If you're like most people, you will see that your reasons for becoming a smoker are no longer valid, are often just silly, and are easily outweighed by the risks to your health and your family's well-being.
So let's move on to column two... Why do you want to quit smoking?
This one may seem obvious, but it can be a bit tricky. You really need to take some time and think hard about this. Don't just list the obvious health reasons. You've been reading the Surgeon General's warnings for years with little effect, so you need to come up with reasons that truly have meaning for you.
The things most people write down will NOT help you quit smoking...
- I don't want to get lung cancer.
- I don't want to have a heart attack or a stroke.
- I'd like to live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up.
Those are all good reasons to quit smoking, certainly... but they deal in "possibilities" rather than in specifics.
Sure you MIGHT get lung cancer, you MIGHT have a heart attack or a stroke, you MIGHT die young and miss out on seeing your grandchildren grow up...
...or you MIGHT NOT! You're not likely to break a strong psychological addiction based on what MIGHT happen. Your mind will work hard to convince you that it won't happen to you! Instead, list health problems that you are already experiencing.
Your list should point out things in your life that you are actively unhappy about and are STRONGLY MOTIVATED to change. In order to break your psychological addiction, you need an arsenal of new thoughts and desires that are stronger than your desire to smoke!
Here are the types of things you want to put in column two...
Why Do I Want To Quit Smoking?
1. Health Reasons
- I get so out of breath when I exert myself even a little bit. Just vacuuming the house makes me pant and gasp.
- My feet are always cold. This could be due to high blood pressure and poor circulation associated with smoking.
- I have a nasty wet cough and I have to blow my nose way too often. Mucus build-up is the body's reaction to all the toxins and chemicals in cigarette smoke and could be a precursor to serious respiratory disease. Even if I don't get cancer, I don't want to be one of those people who has to tote oxygen bottles around everywhere.
- I'm always tired. Could it be that my body is using up all its energy trying to eliminate the toxins and chemicals from cigarettes?
2. Vanity Reasons
- Smoking causes premature aging and drying of the skin. I don't want to look like a wrinkled up old prune!
- My fingers, fingernails and teeth are all tobacco stained. Disgusting! How embarrassing.
- When I get on the elevator after a smoke break at work, everyone wrinkles their nose and tries to edge away from me because I reek of cigarette smoke. I feel like a pariah. It's embarrassing to always be the big "stinker" on the elevator. I feel like I have no self-control.
- My breath is awful. Kissing me must be like kissing an ashtray. I spend a fortune on breath mints.
3. Financial Reasons
- If I save all the money I used to spend on cigarettes, I'll have enough to take a vacation in Cancun (or some other warm tropical place) every winter!
- I could use the money to pay off my credit cards!
- I could donate money to my favorite charity or sponsor a child. My cigarette money could make the world a better place!
4. Family Reasons
- My family can stop worrying about me.
- My spouse will have to find something new to nag me about. Just kidding, honey!
- My children will be proud of me and (hopefully) they'll never start smoking themselves, having seen firsthand what a nasty destructive habit it is.
5. Cleanliness Reasons
- The walls used to be white. Now they're a nasty dirty-looking brown. I need to repaint... again!
- I stink, my car stinks, my house stinks, everything I own reeks of cigarette smoke. I can't even lend a book to a non-smoking friend because they can't stand the smell of smoke permeating the pages!
Do you see yourself in any of the items listed? You may have many more reasons of your own. Find as many compelling and emotional reasons to pursue smoking cessation as you can think of and write them all down. To quit smoking, you need YOUR reason to kick the nicotine habit.
If you can re-train your mind to think of smoking as a silly and self-destructive thing to do, then you're almost sure to succeed. And if you need something to do with your hands... try knitting!
Are You Risking Your Health ?
One of the most important aspects of living a healthy and prosperous life is understanding "risk." By this I mean knowing how to understand and analyze situations in life that affect health. Being able to accurately weigh benefits and risks when making health decisions is very important! Too often decisions are based on incomplete or inaccurate information and this is a huge mistake with significant consequences!
Failure to accurately assess risk keeps people locked in all kinds of unhealthy situations including poor eating and exercise habits (lifestyle), relationships and jobs. Sometimes people are just afraid to step out and make a change. They see "risk" in making a change when the REAL risk comes from NOT making a change. From my perspective, living with the stress, unhappiness and frustration of indecision and poor health is the greatest risk of all, and one that is definitely not worth taking!
Accessing "risk" is nothing more than collecting information, weighing the alternatives and then making appropriate decisions based on the information.
Some risks to our health are more "real" than others. For example, it is common knowledge that smoking and obesity are associated with a wide variety of health problems. On the other hand, there are some health risks that are so remote we rarely think about them. On a practical level, eating highly processed foods and avoiding a daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables is rarely considered serious. But, as too many have already discovered, the long range consequences of this practice are real and devastating.
Failure to accurately assess risk limits us in many ways. We imagine the "risk" of talking with our children about drugs, dating or sex and we put off having the "talk," even though the risks of NOT talking are infinitely greater. Fear of flying and public speaking are two more "risks" affecting millions of people. But practically speaking, these fears are unfounded. People ride in cars every day, even though cars are far more dangerous than commercial aircraft! It's a failure to accurately assess risk, and it limits our health, prosperity and pleasure in life.
The goods news is that failure to accurately access risk is reversible! The effects of those decisions to eat inappropriately or NOT to exercise are, as the common expression goes, "do-overs." We can effect positive change in our lives by following a few simple steps to accurately access risk:
1. Accurately define your present situation and access your health "risks". Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you getting enough exercise and good quality sleep? What are the consequences if you DON'T change? Weigh the benefits of healthier living vs the potential risks such as increased cost, inconvenience or discomfort.
2. What do you stand to gain if you change your present circumstances? Assess the "up-side" potential. Too often we look only at the "downside" risk and forget the benefits. What good things might happen if you take the risk and win?
3. Limit the "down-side" if you happen to make a wrong decision. Don't continue down a path if it does not produce results. This is especially important when following weight loss programs. If the pounds are not coming off or if the weight loss is only temporary, find a new program! You not only want to lose weight, but want to sustain the weight loss for as long as possible. Take steps to ensure this will happen. Clear, concise, realistic objectives will definitely help.
4. Reduce your risk by being smart! Understand the situation and seek the advice of experts in the field of health and nutrition. This includes finding and forming partnerships to receive support and get good advice.
5. Have a fall-back position. If the decision you make fails to produce the desired results, be prepared to take a long, hard look at the circumstances and be prepared to change what you are doing.
Everything in life involves some element of risk. Driving your car, meeting someone new, crossing the street...but we do them every day. Winners in life are willing to accept the risk and continue on their way! Get involved, be smart about how you play the game, come prepared for a few failures along the way, but don't quite. You will reap the benefits for your effort and live a happier and healthier life. I like to remember the words of the great Winston Churchill when he said, "Never, never, never give up!"
Failure to accurately assess risk keeps people locked in all kinds of unhealthy situations including poor eating and exercise habits (lifestyle), relationships and jobs. Sometimes people are just afraid to step out and make a change. They see "risk" in making a change when the REAL risk comes from NOT making a change. From my perspective, living with the stress, unhappiness and frustration of indecision and poor health is the greatest risk of all, and one that is definitely not worth taking!
Accessing "risk" is nothing more than collecting information, weighing the alternatives and then making appropriate decisions based on the information.
Some risks to our health are more "real" than others. For example, it is common knowledge that smoking and obesity are associated with a wide variety of health problems. On the other hand, there are some health risks that are so remote we rarely think about them. On a practical level, eating highly processed foods and avoiding a daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables is rarely considered serious. But, as too many have already discovered, the long range consequences of this practice are real and devastating.
Failure to accurately assess risk limits us in many ways. We imagine the "risk" of talking with our children about drugs, dating or sex and we put off having the "talk," even though the risks of NOT talking are infinitely greater. Fear of flying and public speaking are two more "risks" affecting millions of people. But practically speaking, these fears are unfounded. People ride in cars every day, even though cars are far more dangerous than commercial aircraft! It's a failure to accurately assess risk, and it limits our health, prosperity and pleasure in life.
The goods news is that failure to accurately access risk is reversible! The effects of those decisions to eat inappropriately or NOT to exercise are, as the common expression goes, "do-overs." We can effect positive change in our lives by following a few simple steps to accurately access risk:
1. Accurately define your present situation and access your health "risks". Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you getting enough exercise and good quality sleep? What are the consequences if you DON'T change? Weigh the benefits of healthier living vs the potential risks such as increased cost, inconvenience or discomfort.
2. What do you stand to gain if you change your present circumstances? Assess the "up-side" potential. Too often we look only at the "downside" risk and forget the benefits. What good things might happen if you take the risk and win?
3. Limit the "down-side" if you happen to make a wrong decision. Don't continue down a path if it does not produce results. This is especially important when following weight loss programs. If the pounds are not coming off or if the weight loss is only temporary, find a new program! You not only want to lose weight, but want to sustain the weight loss for as long as possible. Take steps to ensure this will happen. Clear, concise, realistic objectives will definitely help.
4. Reduce your risk by being smart! Understand the situation and seek the advice of experts in the field of health and nutrition. This includes finding and forming partnerships to receive support and get good advice.
5. Have a fall-back position. If the decision you make fails to produce the desired results, be prepared to take a long, hard look at the circumstances and be prepared to change what you are doing.
Everything in life involves some element of risk. Driving your car, meeting someone new, crossing the street...but we do them every day. Winners in life are willing to accept the risk and continue on their way! Get involved, be smart about how you play the game, come prepared for a few failures along the way, but don't quite. You will reap the benefits for your effort and live a happier and healthier life. I like to remember the words of the great Winston Churchill when he said, "Never, never, never give up!"
Danger no smoking - Short Stuff
Think a couple puffs wont hurt? Well, sister, new research published in Tobacco Control shows it takes an average of just three weeks for a teen girl to get hooked, even if she only smoked two cigarettes each week. Surprised? So were the researchers. I thought kids who got hooked quickly would be the exception," says Dr. Joseph DiFranza, who conducted the study at University of Massachusetts. "As it turned out, kids who didn't get hooked quickly were the exception." What's even scarier? For a person who starts smoking as a teen, it takes 18 years to break the habit. What's smart? Never trying cigarettes in the first place.
Friday, May 25, 2007
AIDS - SEX & TEENS
What's the big deal about HIV/AIDS?
It's easy to think that AIDS is something for other people to worry about - gay people, drug users, people who sleep around. This is wrong - all teens, whoever they are, wherever they live need to take the threat of HIV seriously. To be able to protect yourself, you need to know the facts, and know how to avoid becoming infected.
Isn't it only a problem for adults?
No. HIV is a big problem for young people, as well as adults. In 2005, it is estimated that there were 2.3 million people under 15 living with HIV.
Monica: "I am 15 years old and my best friend who is a male has AIDS and we were really close so one night we experimented and after the fact that we "did it" he told me that he had AIDS."
What's the difference between HIV and AIDS?
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS is a serious condition in which the body's defences against some illnesses are broken down. This means that people with AIDS can get many different kinds of diseases which a healthy person's body would normally fight off quite easily.
How long does it take for HIV to cause AIDS?
The length of time between being infected with HIV and being diagnosed with AIDS depends on lots of different things. These days, there are many drugs that can be used to help people with HIV, and most doctors believe that a lot of people can be treated for a very long time. Many people do not know exactly when they were infected with HIV, and the length of time between this happening and them being diagnosed with AIDS can be very variable.
So how do you get infected with HIV?
HIV is passed on in the sexual fluids or blood of an infected person, so if infected blood or sexual fluid gets into your body, you can become infected. This usually happens by either having sexual intercourse with an infected person or by sharing needles used to inject drugs with an infected person. People can also become infected by being born to a mother who has HIV and a very small number of people become infected by having medical treatment using infected blood transfusions.
HIV can't be caught by kissing, hugging or shaking hands with an infected person, and it can't be transmitted by sneezes, door handles or dirty glasses.
What is 'safe sex'?
Safe sex means sexual activities which you can do even if one person is infected with HIV, and they definitely won't pass it on to the other person. Loads of activities are completely safe. You can kiss, cuddle, massage and rub each other's bodies. But if you have any cuts or sores on your skin, make sure they are covered with plasters (band-aids). Nothing you do on your own can cause you to get HIV - you can't infect yourself by masturbation.
What about using drugs?
The only way to be safe around drugs is not to take them. If you are on drugs you may take risks you normally wouldn't take, and you may have unsafe sex when you would normally be more careful. If you take drugs, you might find it more difficult to use a condom, or you might forget altogether. One of the most common drugs this can happen with is alcohol - if you're drunk, you might not always know what you're doing, or you might not care.
If you inject drugs, you should always use a clean needle, syringe and spoon, water, etc each time you inject, and never share any of these with anyone else. If you snort drugs, and you use a note or a straw to snort through, you shouldn't share it with anyone else, as blood can be passed from the inside of one person's nose to another.
If you have a tattoo or a piercing, you should make sure that the needles and equipment used are sterile. Ask the staff at the place you have it done about what precautions they use.
What is safer sex?
Safer sex also means using a condom during sexual intercourse. Using a condom is not absolutely safe as condoms can break, but condoms can be effective if they are used correctly. To find out more about this, see our condoms page.
Oral sex (one person kissing, licking or sucking the sexual areas of another person) does carry some risk of infection. If a person sucks the penis of an infected man, for example, infected fluid could get into the mouth. The virus could then get into the blood if you have bleeding gums or tiny sores somewhere in the mouth. The same is true if infected sexual fluids from a woman get into the mouth of her partner. But infection from oral sex alone seems to be very rare.
Can you get infected your first time?
Yes, if your partner has HIV and you have unsafe sex, then you can become infected.
Is there a cure?
There is no cure for HIV. HIV is a virus, and no cure has been found for any type of virus. Recently, doctors have been able to control the virus once a person is infected, which means that a person with HIV can stay healthy for longer, but they have not managed to get rid of the virus in the body completely.
How can I tell if someone's infected with HIV?
There is no way to tell just by looking at someone whether they are infected with HIV. Someone can be infected but have no symptoms and still look perfectly healthy. They might also feel perfectly healthy and not know themselves that they are infected. The only way to know if a person is infected or not is if they have a blood test.
How can I get tested?
You may find it helpful to talk to an adult - perhaps a parent, school nurse or teacher may be able to advise you where you can have a test. There are details of helplines, clinics and testing centres on our help and advice page. It's much better to talk to someone than to worry on your own. The clinic will suggest that you wait three months (or six in the US) after your last risky sexual contact before having a test. This is because the virus is difficult to detect immediately after infection.
Will they tell my parents?
The clinics in different places have different policies. Most (but not all) clinics have a confidentiality policy, and will not tell anyone, although some places will want to bring a parent to give consent. You can phone the clinic before you go and find out.
What will they do?
Before they do anything, the doctor or nurse will ask if you're sure you want to have a test. They will usually take a sample of blood from you to examine. If you also want to be tested for STD's, they may take a urine sample, or they might ask if they can take a swab from the vagina or penis. Some places can give you the results on the same day, in other places you may have to wait for a week or more. While you wait, you shouldn't have sexual contact with anyone.
Source : Avert.org
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