Archive for November, 2008

Acai Berry: The Superfood

Acai berry is actually a palm, known as acai palm. It belongs to Euterp genus of palm and grows about 15 to 30 meters tall. Acai berry is a native of central and South America from Belize to Brazil and grows in swamps and floodplains. The species Euterpe oleracea is called Acai Palm; the word ‘acai’ is derived from ‘iwasai’ meaning fruit that expel water. Acai berry fruit has many nutritional ingredients like antioxidant, anti cancer, anti bacterial and antimutagenic (do not cause mutation of cells and can not cause cancer) substances.

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Health in the Internet

Now a day’s health information is available in the internet with a click of a mouse. This is becoming easier day by day due to development in the web community and webmasters dealing in the subject of health. This has been specially made easier by the presence of health forums. In the health forums one can not only get tons of information regarding health, but one can discuss about the health problem with fellow forum members and many of the health forum members may be doctors themselves or they have vast knowledge in the subject of health because they are always in touch with the subject of health.

Many health forums are very helpful if someone is having some doubt or question regarding health related problem. They can discuss their heart’s content with the fellow forum members. So getting health forum membership is a good idea which can be handy any time. And the best part of the internet and health is that it is open 24 hours a day with out any interruption. At any time one can discuss their problem or their doubt in the health related topics.

But while choosing to become member in a health forum one should be careful so that their effort is not wasted. If the health forum is not a popular one, there may be very less or inexperience members in the health forum. So when one try to get health information, it may not be available to any of the health forum members. Than it is going to be waste of time and effort.

The internet is going to give more to the human race in the form it is giving now, and also going to give more in the form which we can not think of at present. Internet is going to be better along with time. And lets hope for much better service from the net.

Causes & treatment for baldness or hair loss problem

What is Baldness?

The problem of baldness is so serious that many people fall deep into depression due to hair problems. They develop a kind of inferiority complex. Let us read about normal cycle of hair growth so that we can understand the need for treatment in a better way.

One hair generally lasts for two to six years. In one month, each hair records a growth of approximately one centimeter. During the hair cycle, some are in the process of growing while as some are in the resting phase. After few months, new hair growth starts in place of old hair that falls out. Even if you lose some hair everyday, it should be considered as a part of normal hair cycle process. However, if you experience excessive hair loss, then you should look out for remedial measures.

Causes of Baldness:

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Salvia Divinorum: The Wonder Herb

Medical practice by using herbs (herbal medicine) is as old as human history. Man has been trying to find cure and remedy to their ailments by using herbs since time immemorial. In every civilization there is indigenous form of medicine by using herbs and minerals. And salvia divinorum is traditional medicine used by Mazatec people of Mexico, in southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Salvia divinorum, also known as “Diviner’s Sage” or “Sage of the Seers”. Salvia divinorum is a Latin word meaning sage of the seers. The herb belongs to genus ‘sage’ of mint family.

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Occupational Environment

Occupational Environment means, the external condition and influence of place of work and has a bearing on the health of the worker. The workers are placed today in a highly complicated environment and it is becoming more complicated day by day. There are mainly three types of interaction in a working environment:

• • Man and man.
  • Man and machine.
  • Man and physical, chemical and biological agents.
    1. Man and man: There are many factors like social, psychosocial etc. which play a role in working environment. There is also human relationship among the workers and with superiors. Psychosocial factors are job satisfaction, service condition, leadership, type of work, communication, payment, welfare state, trade union activity, incentives etc. In modern occupational health, importance is given to the condition in which people work, their attitude toward their job, there hopes and fear etc. The occupational environment of a worker can not be separated from his domestic environment. They are complementary to each other. They take worries of work place to home and from home he brings domestic problems. Stress at work can disturb sleep the same way stress at home can disturb work. Occupational health is a dynamic equilibrium between the worker and his occupational environment.
    2. Man and Machines: The following are the causes of industrial accident: unguarded machines, poor installation of machines, protruding and moving parts and lack of safety measures and employee education. Other causes are fatigue due to long working hours, bad postures which cause backache, joint disease etc.
    3. Man and physical, Chemical and Biological agents:
       • Physical factors: Physical factors that effect health of worker are, heat, cold, noise, vibration, ionizing radiation, light, air movement (ventilation), humidity and heat radiation. These factors acts singly or in combination. The washing & bathing facility, toilet facility as well as amount of working space effect health of a worker.
       • Chemical factors: These are harmful chemicals toxic dusts, toxic gases and are harmful to the health of the worker. Some chemicals are irritant to skin, some causes respiratory problems and some maybe highly poisonous.
       • Biological agents: Workers may be exposed to bacterial, viral, rickettsial and parasites. All these are health hazards may arise due to close contact with animals, contaminated water, contaminated soil, contaminated food etc.

Occupational Health

The joint ILO/WHO (international labor organization and world health organization) on occupational health, gave the definition of occupational health as follows “Occupational health should aim at the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well being of workers in all occupations; the prevention among the workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions; the protection of workers in their employment from the risks resulting from factors adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of the workers in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological equipment and to summarize the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job”.

The aim of occupational health is essentially preventive; i.e. the prevention of disease and maintenance of highest degree of health (highest degree of physical, mental and social well being) of workers in all occupations. These are attained by-health promotion, specific protection, early diagnosis and treatment, disability limitation and rehabilitation. Tools used for attaining goals are screening , health education, health statistics and epidemiological approach. Therefore, occupational health is application of preventive medicine in all places of employment.

In the older time occupational health used to mean in relation to factories and mines, but nowadays it is applied to all types of employment including agriculture.

Ergonomics (study of human engineering) is the term used for study of man and his working environment. The term ergonomics is derived from Greek words, ergon meaning work and nomos meaning law. Ergonomics in its simplest form means “fitting the job to the worker”. Ergonomics include designing of machines, tools, equipments, layout of the places of work, method of work in order to achieve greatest efficiency of man and machine. The aim of ergonomics is to achieve the best results and also maintain best health of the worker. By applying ergonomics to all areas of employment the number of accidents have reduced and the efficiency of worker and overall health condition has improved.

The modern concept of occupational health now cover all types of employment like commercial enterprises, trade, service sector, information technology sector, forestry and agriculture. It also include subject of industrial hygiene, industrial diseases, industrial and other accidents (road, railway and air accidents), toxicology, industrial rehabilitation and occupational psychology.