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Guest writer

Hate. Tweet. Rinse. Repeat.

A Mumbaikar writes about the malaise that grips us all – of having a contrary, angry opinion, whatever the situation.
by Jatin Sharma

India is rising but the people in India are lying still. All of us are intoxicated by social networking sites. Any event or incident that becomes news, pressurises each one of us to update our Facebook statuses or tweets. And this pressure has given an impetus to a generation that is like a headless chicken walking on the roads.

Take the case of Arvind Kejriwal. In the entire fracas after he declared his political intentions, what became evident was that we all have started to hate common logic. There is no doubt that Arvind Kejriwal single-handedly took charge to expose different politicians; but there is also ample proof to suggest that people have completely developed a puzzling mindset – that of hating everything that is happening around them.

The moment Kejriwal entered politics by forming a political party, people started talking about how all the dharnas and all the fasts he undertook were under the pretext of gaining political mileage.

But I have a few questions for these ‘thinkers’:

Aren’t the politicians of the country supposed to do the same?

Aren’t the leaders of this country supposed to question and expose the ill-doing of other leaders?

And wouldn’t we like a leader who could make others fear their wrongdoings?

So what did he do wrong by attempting to expose corruption with evidence? Whether he has a political ambition or not is irrelevant. For once, corrupt politicians are feeling the heat. For once, they are being questioned. When was the last time in your memory that you saw this happen in the political sphere?

And another thing: what did we do when he stood as a common man with Anna Hazare? Supported him with a few tweets and a few status updates, and counted how many retweets and likes we got!

I suppose Arvind Kejriwal also understands that to bring about any change, he will need to change his strategy. Without political power, he will just end up as one of those several voices that are muted by the powerful. Whatever his intention may be, or whatever the name of the poster boy is, Kejriwal or something else, for once India should stand up for the greater good.

We can find good leaders only when we can become good followers.  We can become good followers only when we act as per a situation and not according to what people want us to think.

 Jatin Sharma 26, works in the media and doesn’t want to grow up, because he thinks that growing up means becoming like everyone else.

 (Picture courtesy www.indiatvnews.com)

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Wellness

Fat. So?

Obesity causes serious disorders, and goes beyond weight issues alone. Here’s how you can get out of the fat trap.
by Dr Jayashree Todkar

Part II

In the previous part, I mentioned my patient Priyanka Gupta (name changed), a 28-year-old suffering from severe emotional and physical troubles due to her obese condition, which had further wrecked havoc with her menstrual cycle and caused acute hirsuitness. She hadn’t had a regular period in a decade, and she had had to wax her facial hair every alternate day. Besides, she had to keep her face covered once she stepped out of her house.

I recommended that she undergo bariatric surgery to correct her condition. She decided to do it after a couple of visits, and she recuperated from the operation for two days. After this, she got back to her routine. But about two months after the surgery, she called me excitedly and said, “Dr Todkar, today for the first time in 10 years, I got my period without taking any medicines!” Elated that her body was indeed coming back to normal, she went on to say that her facial hair growth had also reduced, and that she needed to wax just once a week. She is doing very well now; her earlier problems have all but disappeared.

A surprising disease

Several people who come to me for treatment are surprised to discover that they have diabetes, or pre-diabetic symptoms. Also, apart from the embarrassment of having excess weight, young obese people, especially, struggle with sexual disorders – there is little to no desire for sex, their sexual performance is low, and on the other end of the scale, there may be infertility, a few cancers, the development of opposite-sex characteristics, and so on. The disease can cause severe inferiority complexes, cause trouble in personal relationships, and it is a major cause of depression among the youth.

While men’s testosterone levels may dip, women may struggle to conceive naturally, and even an IVF-assisted pregnancy may not carry for the full term. Several pregnant obese women develop gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and other factors that lead to miscarriages.

The cure

– Accept that obesity is a disease, and should be treated like one. Being in denial will only delay the treatment process.

– Understand that the disorders you are suffering from – PCOS, PCOD, respiratory problems, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea – may not be isolated incidents, but may be linked to obesity.

– Consult a good surgeon to explore options to improve metabolism, and this includes bariatric surgery. Do this before you make exercise and diet plans. Some obese people’s metabolism is better than others, so they lose weight in the gym while others don’t. Once your metabolism is corrected, all exercise and diet efforts will yield better results.

– Discipline and diet are key to good recovery and maintaining good health after treatment. Once your health begins to improve, other things fall into place one by one – your looks will improve, your self-confidence will rise, you will want to rebuild your social life, and your performance in all spheres will improve.

– Above all, don’t lose hope. Seek a scientific solution to the problem, and don’t feel victimised by your condition. There are fantastic solutions available to treat obesity, you just have to seek help before it is too late.

Dr Jayashree Todkar is visiting bariatric and laparoscopic surgeon, and Director of Obesity and Diabetes Care Center, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Powai. She holds the distinction of being the first female bariatric surgeon in India.  

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Wellness

Fat. So?

A two-part series that looks at what obesity is doing to young Mumbai, and how to get help in time.
by Dr Jayashree Todkar

Part I

Obesity is striking the young much more than it used to. Today, I am constantly counselling and treating men and women in the 20 to 30 age group, and they are wishing to be treated for a variety of disorders and diseases stemming from obesity or increased weight gain. This age group is the most ‘active’ age group – socially and sexually – but it also the age group that is increasingly sedentary in its lifestyle. Eating the wrong kind of food, little to no exercise, rising amounts of stress, not seeing a doctor for niggling ailments on time – all of these are contributing to the problem.

Obese people also do not link their condition with other things like infertility and diabetes, but there is enough evidence to show that obesity does cause hormonal imbalances, thereby leading to infertility and some cancers, both in men and women.

In women, especially, the incidence of Polycistic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is steadily going up, and several times, the reason is linked to obesity. We feel that obesity only manifests itself in weight gain, but the other physical and psychological impacts it has on the sufferer are complex and immense. For instance, several of my patients who suffer from PCOS take medications to get their menstrual periods on track. Once the medication is taken and the period arrives, they feel they have been cured. But stop the medication, and the problem resurfaces. A woman suffering like this has a harrowing time trying to conceive or take the pregnancy to term. Several times, pregnancy becomes impossible without IVF intervention.

The ovaries are amongst the first to show signs of hormonal distress. Irregular periods are a sign of a lack of healthy egg production; eggs are not fertilised naturally and hence, medications help to fertilise them artificially. I have seen young women show symptoms like highly irregular periods, scanty periods (where the period ends in a day), pre-diabetic conditions and worse, developing sexual characteristics of the opposite sex, such as hirsuitism. In young men, these characteristics could be a large enlargement of breasts (commonly referred to as ‘man boobs’) and deposition of fat around the penis. Men also experience decreased levels of testosterone.

Priyanka Gupta (name changed) called my clinic a few months ago, wanting to meet me but hesitating to come to my clinic. I agreed to meet her at a hotel. When she arrived, her face was entirely draped by a scarf. When she took the scarf off, I had tears in my eyes – her face was very hairy and she needed to wax it every alternate day. She was 28 years old, and her condition had primarily beaten her self-confidence, she couldn’t control her weight, and she hadn’t had a period in 10 years without popping pills. A month after undergoing treatment with me, she called to say that she had had her first period in 10 years without taking medication. Also, her facial hair growth had reduced quite a lot.

Next: How was Priyanka cured? Do you think your health problems could be linked to obesity? Find out in the concluding part of this series, tomorrow.

Dr Jayashree Todkar is visiting bariatric and laparoscopic surgeon, and Director of Obesity and Diabetes Care Centre, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Powai. She holds the distinction of being the first female bariatric surgeon in India.   

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Wellness

Lose weight – light a candle

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s range of candles heal, detoxify, treat anxiety, insomnia and even depression, apart from helping in weight loss too.
by The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

There are stranger things in the world, we suppose, than candles that do more than help us finish dinner when the lights go off. What if we told you that there are candles that help one lose weight? Or moisturise the skin? Or banish that nagging headache? Or even help soothe anxiety and loss of confidence?

Actor, singer, painter and now the founder of The Candlelight Company, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi came out with a range of candles in August this year that combined colour therapy, feng shui, chakra healing, mantra and aromatherapy with candle making. “In short, it is candle therapy. I have always had a keen interest in the natural sciences as a holistic alternative to allopathy. I have also loved making candles as a hobby. So, I simply combined my interests and created candles that promoted wellness,” she says.

“Two years ago, I was facing a lot of ups and downs in my life. At that time, I started seriously researching and studying essential oils and their healing properties. I had always been interested in properties of essential oils and how each has a different role to play in healing the body,” she explains. She further honed her skills and knowledge after studying the subject in France and England last year. “The perfume and essential oil industry in France is the biggest in the world,” she says. “But the most interesting bit is that they import all their oils from India and Indonesia!” she exclaims.

The candles, if her claims are to be believed, have surprising healing properties. For instance, there is a candle that nourishes dehydrated skin as one sleeps, and is made of cocoa, mango and kokum butters, plus beeswax and jojoba. Another one claims to help insomniacs sleep (made of valerian, lavender and other sleep-inducing essential oils), while others cure headaches and even the common cold. But Suchitra’s favourite one is the candle that alleviates anxiety. “A close friend of mine developed techachardia after she lost her father. She took about 50 of the anxiety candles from me, saying that nothing else worked for her,” she says, adding that her own chronic insomnia was cured after breathing in the aromas of root oil.

She explains how essential oils work on the system and how it is helps healing. “Sensory preceptors in the brain that have millions of olfactory nerve cells go to work when you breathe in scented air. Tiny cilia fibres on each cell have receptors that have different shapes to fit different scent molecules. The nerve cell then relays the scent to the brain where the limbic system associated with emotions is stimulated. That’s how it works.”

If this sounds intriguing, check this out, too: there are also candles that protect the home from pests, candles that put one in a sensual mood, candles that help students concentrate on their studies better, and candles others that help boost one’s self-esteem and confidence.

While her friends showed support by “buying in bulk” right from the day she launched the company, Suchitra has already found a big champion for her candles abroad – Deepak Chopra, a world-renowned mind-body healing pioneer and writer. “Whether you desire sensual delight, tranquillity or healing, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi’s candles will take you there,” he says. Back home, her ex-husband, director and writer Shekhar Kapur is also a user. “But he has warned me to give people specific instructions about their usage. There’s no point lighting up the sensual candle and staying up horny all night, when you actually wanted to have a relaxing sleep!” she laughs.

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Deal with it

That game’s got your child

Survey conducted in the nation’s metros and major cities shows that children playing violent computer games are becoming increasingly aggressive.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If your child is hooked on to his computer or mobile phone, playing away to kingdom come as a variety of bangs, screams and explosions rock the house through his screen, yank the device away from him immediately. He may be playing a game that is potentially blunting his sensitivities to aggression and what constitutes aggressive behaviour.

At a time when school kids are not thinking twice before picking up the nearest sharp weapon and stabbing another in the wake of an argument or minor scuffle, the increasing amounts of time that adolescents and teenagers are spending playing violent video games is a cause for worry. As per a survey conducted by the Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) under its Social Development Foundation (SDF) in May 2012, violent video games are fuelling a rise in aggressive behaviour among children. As per the survey, “Due to the absence of parents at home, over 75 per cent of metropolitan kids between the ages of five to 17 years exposed themselves to violent video games, which lead to severely desensitivity to aggression and violent behaviour amongst them.”

The survey findings are grim – 60 to 80 per cent of the children surveyed displayed real-life aggressive behaviour owing to prolonged exposure to violent video games. The survey included over 1,000 teenagers and 1,000 parents in the major metros such as Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Chennai, apart from Goa, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Indore, Patna, Pune, Chandigarh and Dehradun. An interesting fact observed was that 65 per cent of the children surveyed had a computer in their bedroom, and thus, plenty of opportunity to get to a game.

Said D S Rawat, Secretary, ASSOCHAM, “Exposed to violence, the child loses his emotional connect [with others] and it becomes much easier [for him] to engage in violence.” Echoing this sentiment, Dr B K Rao, Chairman of the ASSOCHAM Health Committee said, “Increased exposure to violent video games leads to compulsive behaviour, loss of interest in other activities, and association mainly with other video game addicts. Parents should provide educational information [to their children] rather than violent games, encourage playing in groups rather than as a solitary activity, and set time limits on children’s playing time.” He added that young children often had difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy, which made them more vulnerable to the effects of media violence. “They may become more aggressive and fearful if they are exposed to high levels of violence in video games,” added Dr Rao.

The survey added that parents felt that the most violent games were Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Modern Warfare. Most games were either played online or were easily downloaded from sites such as Newgrounds and eBaum’s World.

Another interesting finding was that boys played violent video games more often than girls.  Also, of the children surveyed, those under age six played an average of about one to two hours on the computer a day, while pre-teens and teens spent nearly four to six hours a day in front of a  computer screen. The survey data also showed that boys became more desensitised towards the videos the longer they watched them.

Highlights in numbers:

– 62 per cent play almost every day

– 68 per cent play for excitement

– 52 per cent get restless and irritable if they can’t play

– 68 per cent sacrifice social and sporting activities for video games

– 42 per cent play instead of doing their homework

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Wellness

5 recent dumb products

Five products we recently discovered – and why our diarist thinks that their amusement value is higher than their usefulness quotient.
by The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

The world functions in extremes: if you have reason, you will also have irrationality. If there’s empathy, there is tremendous intolerance. If there is an Amitabh Bachchan, there is also a Shakti Kapoor.

And if there are chaddi-shaped diapers that are easy to wear (for your kid, that is), there are also stringy, complex bikinis that require forceps to get one out of. Presenting, five dumb products we recently discovered.

1. Clean and Clear Face Wash with bursting beads.
We confess, the only reason we went out in our frayed pyjamas and old man T-shirt to the neighbouring grocer on a Saturday, still too sleepy to notice that we had only one chappal on, was because somewhere in our subconscious minds had registered this face wash’s claim that it was a ‘morning alarm for the skin’. No, we didn’t keep a bottle of this face wash on our bedside tables and set it for 8 a.m. the next morning. Since our skin is perpetually oily, we bought the green apple variant (there is also lemon and berry).

Dumbness quotient: 4/5. Not only is the face wash nowhere close to waking up the user’s skin, it has the consistency of kachcha sugar syrup, so it flows out like nobody’s business when the bottle is tilted. And don’t even get us started on the bursting beads. It took some determined squeezing to get any of the beads to burst, and when they did, our palm was a graveyard of what looked like flattened pieces of green clay. Plus, one bead lodged itself firmly in our fingernail. Grrr.

2. Dove Face Wash
We normally like Dove products, especially their shampoos and conditioners. So we were really confident about their new face wash, considering that their soaps do exactly as they say: ‘Clean the skin without drying it.’ But alas! Whatay shock we were in for.

Dumbness quotient: 5/5. While Clean and Clear face wash made a prat of itself with its bursting beads that did not burst without a fight, Dove went the other extreme with a face wash that stripped our face of every bit of moisture, oil, and we suspect, our epidermis. We came out of the bath looking like heavily botoxed versions of ourselves, our face an endlessly taut expanse of shocked, dry skin.

3. Pepsodent Expert Protection toothpaste
All toothpastes are supposedly the ultimate solution to all dental woes. While one promises to keep your mouth germ-free for 12 hours, never mind that you had a gazillion cups of very sweet coffee in a day, apart from not rinsing your mouth after lunch, another promised to be sugar-free to give you good health (we’re still figuring this one out).

Then Pepsodent came out with a winner. No, they did not replace brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan with somebody less annoying. They brought out a toothpaste that combined three dental cleaning functions in one tube of superhuman paste: it cleans, flosses (!) and finishes as a mouthwash. Given that it can floss as well, this toothpaste is so intelligent, it can easily be mistaken for a smartphone. This toothpaste is the shit. This toothpaste is the Chuck Norris of toothpastes.

Dumbness quotient: 4/5. Even the ad for this product is dumb. We mean, COME ON. Showing an entire army of people brushing, flossing and using mouthwash to illustrate the ideal sequence of events in oral hygiene is too much. It is presumptious and insulting to the point of being a Rohit Shetty film. Also, we took issue with how the toothpaste knows exactly how to follow this sequence. We mean, what if it flosses before it cleans? Or if it forgets to activate the mouthwash component in it? The paste itself was not bad, but then, it was only glitzier and better packaged than the other Pepsodent toothpastes on sale.

4. Hafele Single Pull Out Electric-Open Waste Bin
What a great idea this is! Nudge it and it opens. Hit it and it opens. Your dog sniffs at it and it opens. Soon, warming up to this game, it opens when you merely look in its direction.

Dumbness quotient: 5/5. We love it! Not. It’s all very well to have your kachre ka dabba let itself be pushed around so blatantly, but it drove us nearly up the wall to have it open even when we were trying to open something else. And, correct us if we’re wrong, but don’t most dog owners spend half their lifetimes thinking up new ways to keep their dogs away from the garbage pail? This product can also divert the most bored child, but do you really want your toddler to be able to get his hands
into garbage that easily? (pic shows the foot pedal variant)

5. Parachute Advansed Hot Oil
This is not a new product, but Parachute has recently started advertising it again in earnest. This oil takes away the effort of actually warming your hair oil before massaging it on to your head. It works on the assumption that friction will cause the oil to warm up and thus seep into the scalp faster.

Dumbness quotient: 5/5. The oil did not warm up at all. Come to think of it, we’ve never heard of self-warming oils. It has a pleasant fragrance, but that’s about it. Disappointed that no warming occurred even after a thorough massage, we gave it a second chance and warmed it over our gas stove and used it twice a week for a month. After all, it contains hibiscus and stuff. After a month of diligent usage, we were still shedding the same amount of hair. After being really excited about using this oil and then finding that it does nothing useful, we gained a new perspective into the story of the Emperor with the new clothes.

The Diarist is a product junkie, and if you’re reading this, chances are you are too. If you’ve noticed any new products worth looking into, write to thediarist@themetrognome.in.

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