Do not reuse mineral water bottles

It happened in Dubai, when a 12 year old girl died after a long usage(16 months) of SAFA mineral water bottle as she used to carry the same fancy (painted by herself) bottle to her school daily.

In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate or PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element (something called diethyllydroxylamine or DEHA). The bottles are safe for one-time use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days, weeks max, and keep them away from heat as well. Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens (cancer-causing chemical agents) can leak into the water that YOU are drinking. Better to invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple uses.

Child sexual abuse

Some alarming facts about Child Sexual Abuse (CSA):

(From TULIR website)
Statistical data from available research and reported incidents (from children and adult survivors) clearly indicates that child sexual abuse is a widespread problem affecting an extremely large number of children in the country.

Child sexual abuse occurs in all social and economic classes of society.

The majority of abusers are known to the child and are often in positions of trust and power vis-à-vis the child. Example: Family, relatives, neighbours, teachers etc.
Most children are sexually abused inside their own homes, as abusers have the trust of children and their families and access to their homes.

All children(girls and boys) are vulnerable to sexual abuse. Research has proven that differently able children are in fact more likely to be abused because of their increased vulnerabilities.

Children do not lie or weave stories about being sexually abused. The pressure to remain silent to uphold distorted concepts of honor and respect is immense. Also, children in our society are kept ignorant of sex and the possibility of abuse. Given these two facts the child is not lying when he/she relates an incident of sexual abuse.

Children can never initiate sexual abuse. Terming a child's behavior "seductive" is an adult justification, projection and misinterpretation.

Abusers are seldom mentally ill; on the contrary they are "regular" people who lead "routine" lives

Though most of abusers are men, a small number of women also abuse children sexually.

In most reported cases the abuser is not physically violent but uses emotional manipulation to coerce the victim.

Usually nobody is aware that the child is being sexually abused.

Child sexual abuse usually has harmful effects and can lead to behavioral, emotional, physical and interpersonal problems.

If child sexual abuse is not reported then the same abuser may harm other children or may target the same child again. There is very often a pattern to abuser's behaviour. They usually repeat their behaviour and with many children as well.

Children of any age can be abused. Reported incidents show that even infants have been sexually abused.

For more details, like:

personal safety rules,

Healing and intervention,

Parents' practical response to CSA,

CSA at Schools: Role, Responsibility and Response,

Preventing and healing CSA,

What exactly is CSA,

Who the abusers are,

How they "groom" children,

Indicators and Effects of CSA,

Responsibilities of parents, schools, community,

FAQ's, Newsletter, etc,

visit TULIR website.

Main causes of liver damage

The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring , and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."
Because :

9 pm - 11 pm : is the time for eliminating unnecessary/ toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health.

11pm - 1 am : is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 1 - 3 am : detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5 am : detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am : detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9 am : absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30 am , for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30 am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10 am rather than no meal at all.

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.


DO TAKE CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH .

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.



2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.



3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.



4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.



5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.



6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.



7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.



8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.



9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.



10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.

(A forwarded mail with minor modifications)

Slowing down diabetes

(Today's editorial)

Slowing down diabetes

The two most potent weapons against diabetes continue to be regular physical activity and healthy eating habits. But with new evidence, medical research has strengthened the view that the burden of Type 2 diabetes mellitus is rising because of expanding urbanisation accompanied by changing food preferences, a sedentary entertainment-oriented lifestyle, rising automobile dependence, and a pedestrian-unfriendly physical environment. Many experts think these factors raise the risk among Indians who may be genetically predisposed to diabetes; the Indian Council of Medical Research estimates the prevalence of diabetes among adults to be 11.8 per cent in urban areas, compared to 3.8 per cent in the rural. The negative impact of non-traditional choices of food and a couch-bound lifestyle seems to be evident in the Philippines and Cambodia, besides India. A lower percentage of rural residents develop diabetes in these countries compared to their urban counterparts, according to an article on epidemic obesity and Type 2 diabetes published recently in The Lancet. These findings point to a strong link between poorly planned urbanisation, now happening in many states, and the onset of chronic conditions such as diabetes.

While those who have already developed diabetes must depend on advances in medical care and a disciplined lifestyle to maintain a good quality of life, millions of others can avoid or delay onset of the disease. The answer lies in reshaping urban development models. The World Health Organisation has emphasised the good outcomes for public health under its Healthy Cities Programme, which envisages municipal bodies actively integrating urban planning and health concerns. A framework for action is available in the forward-looking policies of the United Progressive Alliance Government on urban renewal, transport, and public health. These have to be translated into ground-level results with incentives available for good practice. Of equal importance is the Union Health Ministry's initiative to ensure that the packaged food industry adopts labelling that provides accurate nutritional and calorific values of products. Combined with an awareness-building programme on obesity-related diseases (in which the medical community can play a major role), this measure will enable everyone, especially the youth, to make healthy choices. The experience of many developed economies shows that encouraging physical activity and other health-seeking behaviour contributes in part to a lower burden of chronic diseases. The battle against diabetes in India has a better chance of success if the combat strategy includes opening of more parks, playgrounds, gymnasia, stadiums, and pedestrian and cycling facilities.