Cool website for Healthy Living

Here is a very nice website for Healthy Living, you can find loatza info and health tips here,
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthyliving

Cardiovascular risk in Diabetes

Exercise can reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease.

What is cardiovascular disease?

Exercise can reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease.
‘Cardio’ means to do with the heart and ‘vascular’ to do with the blood vessels. ‘Cardiovascular’ means the heart and circulation. Diseases of the circulation are caused by hardening of the arteries, and are common in Western society.

They are:

• angina (chest pains)
• heart disease
• heart attacks (when blood supply is cut to the heart)
• stroke (when blood supply is cut to the brain)
• poor circulation to the legs.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

Atherosclerosis is the underlying process that leads to cardiovascular disease. Arteries are the blood vessels that lead away from the heart and which deliver oxygen-rich blood to the tissues of the body.They are essentially tubes of muscle with a special interior lining of cells that ensures blood flows along smoothly.When affected by atherosclerosis, diseased arteries become substantially narrowed by thickening of the muscle layer and in particular by a fatty deposit (plaque) that builds up under the lining.

Plaque in arteries is a mixture of:

• fats, particularly cholesterol
• a build up of cells from the body’s immune system
• proteins like those that form in a scar.

A plaque starts off small but with time it gets bigger, steadily narrowing the artery at this point.

As well as obstructing blood flow, a plaque is also a weak point in an artery. The thin covering of the plaque can rupture, exposing it and the underlying muscular layer of the artery.

This can trigger a sequence of reactions that results in the blood clotting at the site of the plaque rupture. Suddenly what had been a narrowed artery can turn into a completely blocked one.

This is very often what happens in a stroke - or a heart attack if it occurs inside one of the heart’s arteries rather than the brain.

What are the risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

The UK has one of the worst records in the world for cardiovascular disease because of factors such as:

• high fat diet
• a tendency to eat lots of salt which raises blood pressure
• low levels of exercise
• the effect of smoking.

Diabetes and cardiovascular risk

Diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as four times.
While blood sugar control is still important, you also need to tackle the other risk factors such as obesity.

The most important risk factors that affect your chances of getting a cardiovascular disease are:

• diabetes
• smoking
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• raised blood fat (lipid) levels - mainly cholesterol and triglyceride
• excess body weight

Calculating risk

A great deal of information has been built up about what effects the various cardiovascular risk factors such as age, smoking, high blood pressure etc have on an individual’s long-term health.

This has led to the concept of quantifying risk. Most of these calculators attempt to put a figure against your eventual likelihood of having a major cardiovascular event (heart attack, stroke).

This is usually stated as a percentage likelihood of an event occurring within a certain time span.

Doctors divide risk into:

• low: less than 15 per cent chance of an event in the next 10 years
• medium: 15-30 per cent chance in the next 10 years
• high: more than 30 per cent chance in the next 10 years.

What are the pros and cons of risk calculators?

On the positive side they can allow people at the highest risk to receive the most medical attention that will improve their health.In recent years this has resulted in prescribing guidance for doctors that states which risk group of patients can receive certain types of drugs.On the downside, many doctors feel that categorising people this way is too simple.Many people within the ‘lower risk’ categories would still benefit from receiving certain types of treatment. This has been well shown in the case of statin statin treatment to lower cholesterol levels in diabetes.

How can they help me?

You can use risk calculators to help you see the impact of making changes.

Risk calculation shouldn't be taken as fact. Many of the ways we currently assess risk will probably be shown to be inaccurate in the future, but they are the best we presently have.

As always, the important actions we can all take are those that follow the lines of healthy living.

Source: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diabetes/index.shtml

Lord Ganesha - God of all things

THE SCIENCE OF GANESHA

Everything in Hinduism begins with the worship of Lord Ganesh, who is installed as the main Deity in Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapathi Devasthanam Ganesh Temple). With an elephant head and human form, he represents universality of creation. All creation is said to begin with Sound, and He is that first Sound OM or pranava in which mantras are born. When Shakti (Energy) meets Shiva (Matter) both Ganesh (Sound) and Lord Skanda (Light) are born. This is the scientific basis of this part of Hinduism.(Hindu Temple Society of America.

MOUSE INTERACTION

Lord Ganesha may ride on a mouse, but you can make instant contact with him through your own mouse - just click below URL to get to the following site and actually participate in a puja of Lord Ganesha, with pealing bells, flowers and incense.

http://ganapati.club.fr/ganesh-md630x460.htm

What is GLOBAL WARMING ?

Save Your Planet, “NOW”.

Don’t forget to check the ACTION ITEMS below…

The Earth as an ecosystem is changing, attributable in great part to the effects of globalization and man. More carbon dioxide is now in the atmosphere than has been in the past 650,000 years. This carbon stays in the atmosphere, acts like a warm blanket, and holds in the heat — hence the name ‘global warming.’

The reason we exist on this planet is because the earth naturally traps just enough heat in the atmosphere to keep the temperature within a very narrow range - this creates the conditions that give us breathable air, clean water, and the weather we depend on to survive. Human beings have begun to tip that balance. We've overloaded the atmosphere with heat-trapping gasses from our cars and factories and power plants. If we don't start fixing the problem now, we’re in for devastating changes to our environment. We will experience extreme temperatures, rises in sea levels, and storms of unimaginable destructive fury. Recently, alarming events that are consistent with scientific predictions about the effects of climate change have become more and more commonplace.

Environmental Destruction

The massive ice sheets in the Arctic are melting at alarming rates. This is causing the oceans to rise. That’s how big these ice sheets are! Most of the world’s population lives on or near the coasts. Rising ocean levels, an estimated six feet over the next 100 years or sooner, will cause massive devastation and economic catastrophe to population centers worldwide.

The United States, with only four percent of the world’s population, is responsible for 22% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. A rapid transition to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources will combat global warming, protect human health, create new jobs, protect habitat and wildlife, and ensure a secure, affordable energy future.

Health Risks

Malaria. Dengue Fever. Encephalitis. These names are not usually heard in emergency rooms and doctors’ offices in the United States. But if we don’t act to curb global warming, they will be. As temperatures rise, disease-carrying mosquitoes and rodents spread, infecting people in their wake. Doctors at the Harvard Medical School have linked recent U.S. outbreaks of dengue fever, malaria, hantavirus and other diseases directly to climate change.

Catastrophic Weather

Super powerful hurricanes, fueled by warmer ocean temperatures are the “smoking gun” of global warming. Since 1970, the number of category 4 and 5 events has jumped sharply. Human activities are adding an alarming amount of pollution to the earth’s atmosphere causing catastrophic shifts in weather patterns. These shifts are causing severe heat, floods and worse.

Change begins at home. Check the Action Items list.

Take Action!

The Stop Global Warming calculator shows you how much carbon dioxide you can prevent from being released into the atmosphere and how much money you can save by making some small changes in your daily life. It’s our hope that the calculator will promote action, awareness and empowerment by showing you that one person can make a difference and help stop global warming.
There are many simple things you can do in your daily life — what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home — that can have an effect on your immediate surrounding, and on places as far away as Antarctica. Here is a list of few things that you can do to make a difference.

·
Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Replace 3 frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 per year. Take the Energy Star pledge.
·
Inflate Your Tires
Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.
·
Change Your Air Filter
Check your car's air filter monthly. Save 800 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $130 per year.
·
Fill the Dishwasher
Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Save 100 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.
·
Use Recycled Paper
Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. Save 5 lbs. of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.
·
Adjust Your Thermostat
Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer. Save 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $98 per year.
·
Check Your Water heater
Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120°F. Save 550 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $30 per year.
·
Change the AC Filter
Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150 per year.
·
Take Shorter Showers
Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.
·
Install a Low-Flow Showerhead
Using less water in the shower means less energy to heat the water. Save 350 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $150.
·
Buy Products Locally
Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.
·
Buy Energy Certificates
Help spur the renewable energy market and cut global warming pollution by buying wind certificates and green tags.
·
Buy Minimally Packaged Goods
Less packaging could reduce your garbage by about 10%. Save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and $1,000 per year.
·
Buy a Hybrid Car
The average driver could save 16,000 lbs. of CO2 and $3,750 per year driving a hybrid
·
Buy a Fuel Efficient Car
Getting a few extra miles per gallon makes a big difference. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.
·
Carpool When You Can
Own a big vehicle? Carpooling with friends and co-workers saves fuel. Save 790 lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.
·
Don't Idle in Your Car
Idling wastes money and gas, and generates pollution and global warming causing emissions. Except when in traffic, turn your engine off if you must wait for more than 30 seconds.
·
Reduce Garbage
Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.
·
Plant a Tree
Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breathe. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per year.
·
Insulate Your Water Heater
Keep your water heater insulated could save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $40 per year.
·
Replace Old Appliances
Inefficient appliances waste energy. Save hundreds of lbs. of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.
·
Weatherize Your Home
Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Save 1,700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year. ·
Use a Push Mower
Use your muscles instead of fossil fuels and get some exercise. Save 80 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.
·
Unplug Un-Used Electronics
Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.
·
Put on a Sweater
Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.
·
Insulate Your Home
Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated. Save 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $245 per year.
·
Air Dry Your Clothes
Line-dry your clothes in the spring and summer instead of using the dryer. Save 700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $75 per year.
·
Switch to a Tankless Water Heater
Your water will be heated as you use it rather than keeping a tank of hot water. Save 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $390 per year.
·
Switch to Double Pane Windows
Double pane windows keep more heat inside your home so you use less energy. Save 10,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $436 per year.
·
Buy Organic Food
The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.
·
Bring Cloth Bags to the Market
Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.
·
Turn off Your Computer
Shut off your computer when not in use, and save 200 lbs of C02. Conserve energy by using your computer's "sleep mode" instead of a screensaver.
·
Be a Meat Reducer
The average American diet contributes an extra 1.5 tons of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a big difference.
·
Ditch the Plastic
2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!!

Take initiative “NOW”.

Save Your Planet,

Save Yourself.

Know about INDIA & COORG / KODAGU

Check this one, its quite interesting,

India - Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

http://concise.britannica.com/dday/print?articleId=111197&fullArticle=true&tocId=47075

What the heck is a Blog ?

A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries.

A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic.

The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting), which are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, one which consists of blogs with very short posts. As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112 million blogs. With the advent of video blogging, the word blog has taken on an even looser meaning — that of any bit of media wherein the subject expresses his opinion or simply talks about something.

Types of blog

Personal Blogs, Corporate Blogs , Question Blogging , By Media Type , By Device , By Genre.

Popularity

Researchers have analyzed the dynamics of how blogs become popular. There are essentially two measures of this: popularity through citations, as well as popularity through affiliation (i.e. blogroll). The basic conclusion from studies of the structure of blogs is that while it takes time for a blog to become popular through blogrolls, permalinks can boost popularity more quickly, and are perhaps more indicative of popularity and authority than blogrolls, since they denote that people are actually reading the blog's content and deem it valuable or noteworthy in specific cases.

Source: Wikipedia

Easy ways to start New Job

One of the hardest things in the world to me is starting a new job. Not only is it stressful trying to learn the work itself, but making new friends and getting to know the “office politics” can make you feel isolated for quite some time. In fact, many people tend to stick with their old jobs for those very reasons even if they’re not happy with them. Having to get used to a new work environment takes you completely out of your comfort zone, and it’s not easy for everyone to get past that stage to where the rewards may lie.

There are several things that can make the job transition a little easier. If you’re just starting a new job, or are thinking of starting one but can’t quite come to terms with the prospect of that “new job” discomfort, try some of these strategies to help things go smoother for you.

1. Remember that we all have to start somewhere - When it comes to learning your new job, no one goes into it with enough know how to make management the first day. That’s what the learning process is for. Keep in mind that all of the people who know seem so at ease at this workplace were once like you…a bit scared and totally lost on the way things work. Know that down the road, you’ll be the one to know what’s going on and those just coming in will stand where you’re standing right now.

2. Take notes - During the learning phase of a new job, information coming at you can be truly overwhelming. Don’t hesitate to bring along a memo pad and pen and let your trainer know that taking notes will help you learn everything quicker. Freehand them at first and go back later and type them up in more detail for review. Going over certain processes in your mind a few times will you familiarize you with the job in no time.

3. Be yourself… with discretion - One cool thing about starting a new job is that you’re given a small chance to reinvent yourself. Did you get the reputation of being the office gossip at your last job? Now’s your chance to play it a little low key. If you shied away from social interaction before, now you can step up a bit and make an effort to be more interactive. You can let your own natural personality shine through in effect, but take the opportunity to feel out the office first and find your niche. You might not find it right away, but with the right attitude, everyone will eventually begin to accept the genuine personality that you let show.

4. Don’t be afraid of mistakes - A personal problem that I’ve had to overcome when starting a new job is the fear of making mistakes. In essence, it’s a silly fear, since you’re not going to start something new without making a few here and there. Being afraid to mess up will hold you back from trying, and eventually learning, different aspects of your job. Jump in and try to learn as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to take a few chances, especially if the can be easily fixed. If you’re unsure, finish something and then ask someone who’s been there longer, or even your boss, for some feedback and a double check that you did everything right. Employers know that you’re new and they don’t expect you to be perfect. Being brave and attempting to learn new things will make a good impression.

Overall, keep in mind that everyone has to start somewhere and that you’re not being judged because you’re trying to learn. There’s a good chance that within a few short weeks, you’ll not only know more about your job but that you’ll be making friends and establishing yourself in the office as well.