Category: Health

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Ayushman Bharat for a new India -2022!

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National health protection Scheme to provide Hospitalisation cover to over 10 Crore poor and vulnerable families

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, has launched the health assurance scheme: Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana – at Ranchi, Jharkhand.  The Prime Minister visited an exhibition on the scheme, before arriving on the dais to launch PMJAY at a huge public gathering.  At the same event, the Prime Minister unveiled plaques to lay the Foundation Stone for medical colleges at Chaibasa and Koderma. He also inaugurated 10 Health and Wellness Centres.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that this launch has been done with a vision to provide the poorest of the poor, and the underprivileged sections of society, with better healthcare and treatment. He said this scheme, which envisions health assurance of 5 lakh rupees per family per year, will benefit over 50 crore people, and is the world’s biggest health assurance scheme. He said the number of beneficiaries of this scheme is roughly equal to the population of the European Union, or the population of America, Canada and Mexico, taken together.

This scheme is aimed at making path breaking interventions to address health holistically, in primary, secondary and tertiary care systems, covering both prevention and health promotion. Continue reading “Ayushman Bharat for a new India -2022!”

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Yoga is Beautiful because it is ancient yet modern: Shri Narendra Modi

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Instead of Increasing Suffering, Yoga Heals, Yoga is Beautiful because it is ancient yet modern, It is Constant yet Evolving: Prime Minister of India
4th International Day of Yoga celebrated

Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi has stated that the way to lead a calm, creative & content life is Yoga. “It can show the way in defeating tensions and mindless anxiety. Instead of dividing, Yoga unites.” He was addressing the main event of the 4th International day of Yoga, which was celebrated at the Forest Research Institute(FRI) in Dehradun here today. Shri Krishna Kant Paul, Governor, Uttarakhand; Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister, Uttarakhand, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of AYUSH and Shri Harak Singh Rawat, Uttarakhand State Minister (AYUSH) also attended the event.

During his address the Prime Minister further said that, “Instead of increasing suffering, Yoga heals. Yoga is beautiful because it is ancient yet modern, it is constant yet evolving. It has the best of our past and presents and a ray of hope for our future. In Yoga, we have the perfect solution to the problems we face, either as individuals or in our society. Continue reading “Yoga is Beautiful because it is ancient yet modern: Shri Narendra Modi”

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Yoga, the discovery of your Self

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By Rangarajan

The Sanskrit word ‘Yoga’ simply means ‘reunion’. Reunion implies an existing state of separation. You are separated from your real Self and blissfully unaware of it too! Ignorant of your Self, you identify with your body, mind and intellect and endlessly chase the world for happiness. Yoga is the search and pursuit of your real Self, culminating in Self-discovery, the native home of happiness.

Yoga is pursued fourfold. Hatha yoga, predominantly addressed to the body and vital pranas, ward off lethargy, indulgence and energy dissipation. It renders the body conducive to spiritual quest.

Karma yoga is dedicating actions to a higher ideal vis-a-vis working for a mundane, mechanical survival. Bhakti yoga relieves your mind from the self-inflicted bondage of attachment to stable identification and devotion. Jnana yoga shifts the direction of intellect from unending terrestrial concerns to transcendental enquiry upon the Self.

Since every human is composed of body, mind and intellect, the pursuit of the fourfold yoga, in proportion to individual constitution is indispensable for evolution. Due to its relative ease of demonstration, practise and immediate appeal to the body, postures and breathing in hata yoga, has hit worldwide eminence in no time. Continue reading “Yoga, the discovery of your Self”

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IIFA AND UNITED NATIONS JOIN FORCES TO CAMPAIGN : ‘BEAT PLASTIC POLLUTION’

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The 19th Edition of IIFA Weekend & Awards 2018 and the United Nations have come together to promote the campaign, “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment Day, 2018 to combat one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. The message is clear: If you can’t reuse it, refuse it!

The UN continues its partnership with IIFA this year with a collaborative advocacy campaign to tackle the pressing issue of plastic pollution, under the aegis of Greening the IIFA.

The campaign is a clarion call for action for all of us to come together and consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural habitat, our oceans, our wildlife – and our own health.

The goal is to inspire people to search for the kind of solutions that lead to sustainable behaviour change upstream. Additionally, the campaign will provice momentum to beat plastic pollution and inspire innovators, activists and leaders worldwide to do more than just clean up existing plastics, but also focus our action upstream.

IIFA has always promoted activities that make our world a better place to live in. Since 2007, IIFA has adopted the green carpet as a show of support and to create awareness about environmental concerns. While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences. Continue reading “IIFA AND UNITED NATIONS JOIN FORCES TO CAMPAIGN : ‘BEAT PLASTIC POLLUTION’”

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LIONS DONATE $100,000 FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY

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Toronto Netralya Lions Club (TNLC) Raises thousands of dollars for “Indigenous Eye Health” at the Lions Gala for Sight – 2018
Funds will support Eye Exam Room and Diabetes Care in new Health Centre

The Toronto Netralya Lions Club (TNLC) donated $100,000 for “Indigenous Eye Health” at a fundraiser organized at the Avani Event Centre in Vaughan. Funds raised at the Lions Gala for Sight – 2018 will support an “Eye Exam and Diabetes Care room” for a new Anishnawbe Health Centre in Toronto.

This is the first time Lions and the Indian Diaspora have created a legacy and taken the lead to raise funds for the Indigenous Community of Canada. “Our Toronto Netralya Lions Club wanted to do something to help the Indigenous people, one of the most vulnerable communities in the Greater Toronto Area,” says Lion Kanta Arora, Founding Member, Club President and Gala Chair on May 5, 2018. “The TNLC is dedicated to ending preventable blindness and to provide funding for programs that help eradicate eye disease in underprivileged communities. I’m proud that TNLC got behind this cause and we are proud to contribute to ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ for our Indigenous brothers and sisters with this donation.”

In Canada, Diabetes is a leading cause of preventable eye disease. Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death and one in three Canadians with Diabetes will develop Retinopathy Continue reading “LIONS DONATE $100,000 FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY”

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University of Virginia offers “Medical Yoga for Health Professionals” course

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The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, public research university and tier-one research institution with a nationally renowned health system, is offering “Foundations of Medical Yoga for Health Professionals” in Fall this year.

This three-credits course “will provide graduate students, medical students, and practicing health professionals with a foundational understanding of medical yoga to improve health and wellness from a historical, theoretical, and research perspective”, the announcement states.

It will explore history of yoga, theories and conceptualizations of medical yoga as a healing modality, review of significant research related to therapeutic yoga, applications of medical yoga for self and clinical care, etc. It will include both didactic and experiential components. Dr. Maureen Mala Cunningham, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, is the instructor.

Highly selective University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, which claims to be nation’s #2 public university, has about 22,800 students and one of its “purposes” is “providing world-class patient care”. It recently established a “pan-university Brain Institute that will address important challenges on the frontiers of understanding, treating, and reverse-engineering the brain”. Teresa A. Sullivan and Frank M. Conner III are President and Visitors Board Rector respectively. Continue reading “University of Virginia offers “Medical Yoga for Health Professionals” course”

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New Cultural Community Long-Term Care Home Approved in Mississauga

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On Friday, April 27th, the Honourable Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance and Member of Provincial Parliament for Mississauga South announced the Government of Ontario will award 320 new long-term care beds in Mississauga to a new partnership between Indus Community Services(Indus), Trillium Health Partners (THP) and Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care (Yee Hong).

“Our government is approving health care in Mississauga and throughout Ontario by increasing the number of long-term care beds in our communities. This investment will help alleviate wait times, and provide access to high-quality, culturally-appropriate professional care for seniors across the province” said the Minister.

This announcement is part of the province’s commitment to build 5,000 new long-term care beds by 2022 and more than 30,000 new beds over the next decade.

To address the region’s long-term care capacity challenges and to provide culturally appropriate care to the diverse community of Mississauga, Indus, THP and Yee Hong have come together to pursue a historic and innovative partnership to provide culturally appropriate long-term care with a specific focus on the Chinese, Asian and South Asian communities and transitional care.

“Mississauga is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. We are also home to an ageing population that deserves access to high-quality culturally appropriate health care. That’s why I am so pleased that the provincial government will be partnering with Indus, THP and Yee Hong to build a new long-term care facility and community hub in Mississauga that will improve the overall health and well-being of seniors in our community” , says Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

Continue reading “New Cultural Community Long-Term Care Home Approved in Mississauga”

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Mississippi University offering yoga course to reduce anxiety of public performers

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University of Mississippi (UM), a public research institution, is offering “Yoga for Performers” course in its Music Department.

Announcement for this one credit course says: “This class is designed to enhance the development of performers by employing yoga to maintain and promote physical and mental health. Yoga develops core strength, flexibility, coordination, and focus, while reducing anxiety and stress associated with performing in public.” According to reports, students have to create a 30-minute yoga program in the second semester.

Founded in 1848, UM (affectionately known as Ole Miss), Mississippi’s flagship and largest university, is included in the elite group of R-1. With more than 24,000 students and operating budget of $2.448 billion (FY 2016), its libraries house nearly 4.43 million volumes of books and journals. Jeffrey S. Vitter and Professor Robert D. Riggs are Chancellor and Music Department Chair respectively of UM, whose “philosophy” includes: “Nurtures excellence in teaching, learning, creativity, and research”.

Yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was a mental and physical discipline, for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.

According to US National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to a “2016 Yoga in America Study”, about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image.

Continue reading “Mississippi University offering yoga course to reduce anxiety of public performers”

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Eight Surprising Health Truths You’ve Never Heard Before 

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–By Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD

In today’s health-conscious culture, knowledge and truth are powerful agents for healing and continued wellness. Here are eight surprising health truths that will empower you on your journey to lasting health.

We’ve all heard the idiom, If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. Lately, more and more people are taking this message to heart. The pursuit of fitness, emotional well-being, and healthier diets has taken center stage in our culture like never before. Being accountable for your health is a giant leap in the right direction. But to truly take ownership, you need to know the facts about what causes disease—facts that much of the medical community isn’t yet aware of.

For example, most people are shocked to learn that many life-threatening health problems that run rampant through our culture—cancer, heart disease, and other chronic degenerative diseases—begin in the mouth. It’s just not widespread knowledge. And that’s why people focus on treating symptoms rather than taking steps to prevent illness from forming in the first place.

My new book, Hidden Epidemic: Silent Oral Infections Cause Most Heart Attacks and Breast Cancers, delves into the little-known root causes of life-threatening illnesses like breast cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s—as well as ailments like arthritis, hypertension, chest pain, and headaches.

The more you know, the better you can make informed choices each day to support your wellness. Continue reading “Eight Surprising Health Truths You’ve Never Heard Before “

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West Virginia University offering free yoga classes to reduce students’ stress

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West Virginia University (WVU), a public research-intensive university in Morgantown, is offering free yoga and meditation classes to reduce the increasing stress experienced by students; and are urging all US universities/colleges to offer such free yoga-meditation programs.

“Yoga and meditation have been proven to reduce stress levels, help with academic performance, and promote overall emotional and physical well-being”, the WVU announcement says. Classes being offered include Body Flow, Guided Meditation, Power Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Vinyasa Flow. The University will also provide yoga mats, meditation cushions, and chairs at no charge.

According to US National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to a “2016 Yoga in America Study”, about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image.

Founded in 1867, WVU offers 340+ majors and has been ranked “among the top 1.5% of universities in the world”. Its students come from 107 countries and all 50 US states. E. Gordon Gee and William D. Wilmoth are the President and Board Chairman respectively. Shannon Foster is Interim Director of WELLWVU, whose mission includes “to foster the complete well being of our students”.

Continue reading “West Virginia University offering free yoga classes to reduce students’ stress”