Category: Health

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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”

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WCD Ministry launches logo and tagline contest for ‘National Nutrition Mission’ with Rs 1 lakh prize money 

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The Ministry of Women & Child Development has launched a contest inviting creative minds to design a logo and suggest a tagline for its prestigious ‘National Nutrition Mission’. It is an opportunity for citizens who aspire to see their design displayed on a National platform.

The Government of India approved the National Nutrition Mission to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children. The programme targets to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth rate. Accordingly, it was felt pertinent to launch an appropriate logo and tagline to generate awareness among the masses.

The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has said, “As has been the practice of the Ministry to engage with citizens, the Ministry proposes to invite entries from public for the same. In keeping with the overwhelming response received on similar contests run on the Ministry’s Social Media platform, it is proposed to award a prize money of Rs 1 lakh to the winner.”

Participants are welcome to send either a logo or a tagline or both. In case the logo and tagline selected by the jury are from separate participants, then the prize money would be split. Continue reading “WCD Ministry launches logo and tagline contest for ‘National Nutrition Mission’ with Rs 1 lakh prize money “

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Peel Memorial Centre to increase access to care

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Ontario has approved a major hospital expansion project at the Peel Memorial Centre to increase access to care and reduce wait times in Brampton.

Dr. Eric Hoskins Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, was joined by Vic Dhillon, MPP for Brampton West, and Harinder Malhi, MPP for Brampton-Springdale, at the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness today to announce the major expansion.

The next phase of redevelopment at Peel Memorial will add more inpatient services, including complex continuing care and rehabilitation for patients and their families.

The province is also making 37 additional beds available at the Brampton Civic Hospital this year, including six more beds announced last month. This investment is part of over 2,000 additional beds and spaces being made available across the province this year.

This support builds on recent health care investments in Brampton, including the new Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness, which opened in April and offers services to reduce wait times at nearby emergency departments such as urgent care, same-day surgeries, programs for new mothers and mental health supports.

Investing in hospitals is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, Continue reading “Peel Memorial Centre to increase access to care”

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Chance at Dance: Balance & Bounce!

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Dance party, anyone? Yes, of course!

There’s a dancer in each of us. Everyone can do something, be it just foot tapping or swaying your body with the music. Well, that’s all that you need. So take a chance at dance because that’s one of the best forms of exercise.

It is a fun way to maintain health, stay fit and fight those calories. Not only does it provide physical benefits but it uplifts the mood as well. Even frail, elderly seniors can have a routine which will not only improve their balance but also their gait and cognitive performance. It has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, so you can bounce back to improved mental health too.

Other forms of exercise can have the same   benefits, but dancing is more appealing because

Social interaction, and fun are mixed together with the workout. In addition to dance studios that offer individual and group lessons, many gyms have dance-fitness classes like Zumba that combine dance and aerobics. Some incorporate styles like belly dancing, Bollywood, and ballet along with Pilates or other core exercises. . Personally, I enjoy dancing –Zumba, Bollywood, Bhangra! I am not trained, probably got the worst moves, but I ‘dance like nobody’s watching’! If there’s a song you just can’t resist, go for it. Never mind what the other person thinks! As long as we don’t step on their toes, we’re ok!

A study by the American Medical Association found that adolescent girls had more positive thoughts and felt more self-confident after dancing. There’s no age limit and this inclusive art is accessible to all. Continue reading “Chance at Dance: Balance & Bounce!”