Alternate source of energy- Future of the World

Drug Today Medical Times

Drug Today Medical Times
India is a developing country with huge population. This means that the requirement for energy and energy consumption both are high. In order to maintain the huge demand of the population it is vital to look for alternate source of energy which can sustain in long run.

As we all know that conventional source of energy which is currently being used for huge generation of electricity and power is only limited.  Hence, it is need of the hour to bring into focus alternate source of energy.

Alternate source of energy is defined as energy which is provided to us by nature and is freely available. This includes wind, water, earth, tidal and most importantly sun. While conventional source of energy is limited in nature and is produced after several years. These include coal, petroleum and electricity.
There are several benefits of exploring alternate source of energy firstly it is available free of cost to us and secondly it is pollution free. We all know that our climate is undergoing continuous changes thanks to global warming.

The major contributor to increased pollution and temperature of the earth is conventional source of energy. The burning of coal and petroleum produces several harmful gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide. These are very harmful gases which are leading cause of major respiratory diseases.

Apart from diseases, these have also led to depletion of ozone layer, which is a protective layer that protects our earth from the harmful radiations of the sun. Due to this depletion there has been increase in the cases skin cancer.

Therefore, this is high time that we put our resources in the right direction with renewable sources of energy. Our country has understood the importance and is already working on it. There is a Ministry of New and Renewable Source of Energy in Delhi which is centre for advance technology and research in the field of non-conventional sources of energy.

The Ministry has worked in setting up solar panels, solar water heaters, solar cookers utilising the energy of the sun and most recently Hydro electric car which runs on hydrogen and electricity to give power to its engine. In addition there is geothermal energy, wind energy and tidal energy.

So, if we want to save our planet, it is necessary to open up to alternate source of energy which is the future of world energy requirement.

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Tax sops likely on life-saving devices and equipment

Drug Today
The Government appears to be serious to provide big push to the Indian Medical Devices and Equipment Sector. The push is expected to come with the recommendations of a task force constituted by the Government recently to look into difficulties faced in domestic manufacturing of medical devices.

 Pharmaceuticals Secretary has assured that the recommendations would come with two months.
“There are a lot of tariff barriers and it has become very easy to import world class equipment because materials are not available here, any equipment comes here to save a life of a human being we give all tax concessions,” said VK Subburaj, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals.

The Indian Medical Devices and Equipment industry, valued at $5 billion, contributes considerably to India’s $60 billion healthcare sector. Moreover, it is growing at a faster annual rate of 15 per cent than 10-12 per cent growth seen in the healthcare sector in its entirety. A rise in the number of hospitals and the increased requirement for healthcare facilities creates a need for sophisticated devices and equipment, which can provide accurate treatment to individuals.

 However, low penetration, accessibility, affordability, awareness, nascent regulatory environment, low indigenous manufacturing, no distinct status of the industry, complex rules and guidelines and high capital requirement are key challenges, the industry is facing.

 “We have recently formed a task force, we are discussing all issues affecting the growth of this sector, the recommendations will be coming in another two months’ time,” Subburaj, Secretary, said recently at an Assocham Summit. The Task Force that includes stakeholders including Commerce Ministry, DIPP, Health and family welfare Ministry and all associated industries is chaired by the Pharmaceuticals Secretary.

 Senior officials and industry representative feel that ‘Make in India’ policy can provide the much needed push to this sector. The Government is expected to develop a regulatory structure leading to quality products being developed by manufacturers. The last few years have seen an increase in domestic manufacturing of medical equipment. With impetus from the government India is beginning to look forward to being recognized as a manufacturing destination for sophisticated medical technology.
 “We will look at modalities to see that these recommendations are implemented and a conducive atmosphere is created for medical devices manufacturing in India as today it is not conducive that is why the growth is very low,” said  the Secretary.
 “Today we are leaders in pharma sector as we are exporting drugs to 220 countries, it is a proud moment but in medical devices sector we cannot say so as we are almost at the lowest level, our coverage is only about one per cent which has to grow to at least about 10 per cent,” he added.

 The Government urgently needs to rationalise the tax structure if it wants to see India develops in this sector. Currently more than 90 per cent of medical devices and equipment are imported into India and only a small quantity of low profile items are manufactured in the country.

 The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AIMED) has suggested inter-ministry co-ordination to deal with complex multiple issues and diverse technologies for enabling indigenous manufacturing of medical devices and equipment in India.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Drug Drug Today Medical Times of India
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Appreciate the way you are, not how you look- Drug Today Medical Times

Drug Today Medical Times of India

When we talk about fitness, the first thing that crosses our mind is shedding the perceptible extra fat in our body. Most of us form an image of the bodies in mind. It involves our perception, imagination, emotions and feeling about one’s own body.

Both men and women bother about their body image. In most cases people think they are overweight when they are not. As per a study almost 45 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in the healthy weight think they are overweight.

Poor body image is associated to dieting or eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating and other mental health issues such as low self esteem, depression. People who prefer dieting may not know about the risks thereof. Most of us think diet in its more insidious incarnation as a temporary and highly restrictive programme of eating in order to lose weight, but the fact is that about 95 per cent of people who lose weight by dieting will regain it in 1-5 years. It does not work in long run.

Ojaswi, a college going girl said, “I am always worried about fitness. At 47 kg weight, my friends reassure me that I am just perfect for my age and height. However, I was not convinced and went on dieting, skipping one meal a day and taking little amount of desserts and sweets occasionally. After all this, I still feel I am way behind the perfect figure.”

Actresses like Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt have become role models for teenage girls for their chiseled frames. Sonam Kapoor, who was 86 kg till age 19, reduced her weight to become slim. Alia Bhatt, heartthrob of generation X, also lost almost 16 Kg in three months for her first movie Student of the Year after extreme dieting.

This poor body image may lead to various problems sometimes. Extreme dieting is a consequence of dieting improperly and pushing the limits of your body well beyond its capabilities. People who suffer psychologically from body image and feel the need to lose weight quickly are the ones to usually try extreme dieting.

Afsha, sibling of a figure freak who lost her life after extreme dieting said, “My sister opted for excessive dieting. She ate only once a day. After a month of the rigours of dieting, she died. Doctors attributed her death to intense weight loss.”

Apart from physical health, dieting is detrimental to deterioration of mental state too. On physical side, consequences are physical fatigue, continuous hunger pangs, sinus problems like post nasal drip, bloodshot eyes, gallbladder disease, rashes, atrophy of muscles, seizures, malnutrition that may lead to dying, dehydration, acidosis and constipations. On the mental side, consequences are irritability, depression, lower sex drive, risk of being vulnerable to more eating disorders.

Vidhya Balan, a brilliant Bollywood actress, has always had to struggle to keep her weight under control till she realised that she had been doing things the wrong way. She would starve herself and go without eating for sometimes twelve to fourteen hours. All this would inevitably lead to weight gain. Then she felt that the beauty of her face and eyes have never failed to capture the attention of audience. After trying out various fitness regimes, she came up with the realisation that she needed an attitudinal change towards reaching her particular goal and not set up unrealistic goals for herself.

Women who are on an overdrive to lose weight need to bear one thing in mind. Fat is not all that bad. It is natural for them to have fat on hips and thighs as it provides them a protective cover essential for fertility and breastfeeding as well as prevention of osteoporosis. It also improves eye sight, hair and teeth quality.

Drug Today Medical Times of India- http://www.drugtodayonline.com/

Hypertension and Its Odds- Drug Today Medical Times

With increase in work load and expectations among present generation, there has been tremendous increase in various kinds of ailments as well. One such disease which is taking its toll on every other person is Hypertension also commonly known as high blood pressure.

 Blood pressure is the force with which our arteries carry the blood, and when this pressure is high it results in Hypertension. Generally normal B.P is 120/80.  Persons with B.P more than 140/90 are under the risks of hypertension.

 There are several reasons which can lead to hypertension. But the most common culprit remains to be stress. Yes, the normal stress which we face every day in our life culminates to the disease. Apart from this, other factors like smoking, drinking, lack of exercise, aging, side effects of medications such as birth control pills, kidney and thyroid disease lead to disease. The role of the genetics leading to the ailment cannot be ruled out.

There are two kinds of hypertension namely essential hypertension and secondary hypertension. In essential hypertension the cause of the disease is unknown. While, major diseases like kidney and liver malfunctions are the reasons behind secondary hypertension.

 The disease is so dreaded that it has been named the major cause for heart stroke and cardiac arrest which takes largest number of lives around the world.

Though, there is no direct means to know if the person is suffering from hypertension or not. But, there are few symptoms which can alarm you. These include breathing problems, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, improper vision and palpitations.

However, it is possible to keep the disease at bay by developing simple habits like diet control, keeping stress in control, quit smoking, reduce the intake of alcohol, doing regular exercise and most importantly reducing the amount of salt in your diet. Yoga has proved to be quite effective as well. Controlling high blood pressure (hypertension) is necessary to avoid major disease like renal and heart failure.
In addition, there are several medicines available in the markets which are beneficial in controlling high B.P. These include calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, diuretics, peripheral vasodilators. But, these medications are required to be taken on the advice of doctors only.

If a person wants to know if he or she is suffering from high B.P, then one should get their blood pressure checked through a registered physician. The machine which is used to measure blood pressure is called sphygmomanometer. Regular check-up and taking all the necessary measures prevents onset of high blood pressure and helps you to live healthy life.

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