The World Around Us

When you’re sad or down, all the self-help books tell you to close your mental doors behind you on unpleasant circumstances or failures you have experienced. They tell you to take possession of your mind to think happy thoughts, without letting circumstances or people affect you. Research proves exactly the opposite.

When we’re anxious or stressed - in other words, exactly when we need a mood boost - our minds become unable to provide one. "If you’re really under stress, putting yourself in a good mood by thinking positive thoughts becomes not only difficult - in fact it backfires, and you get the opposite of what you want," says Daniel Wegner, Ph.D, a psychologist at the University of Virginia. In an experiment, Wegner asked a group of people to put themselves in a good mood - which they did, fairly easily. But when they were also told to keep a nine-digit number in mind, they actually felt worse. The energy they had to control their mood was reduced by the effort of remembering the number. Instead, it is better to enlist the help of other people. It was found that talking to friends or relatives or a therapist, or anyone who might be able to help you think about other things is more effective than relying on yourself for cheer.

Most of our gyms and personal trainers, taking a cue from their western counterparts, has been advocating the use of protein supplements for people into rigorous training. These powders or potent drinks in many appetising flavours, are now readily available everywhere. But should you follow the herd and have them? According to a report in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, decidedly no.

Ingesting protein and amino acid supplements after working out does not boost muscle mass and strength, contrary to popular belief among athletes, say researchers. According to a study by Dr A G Williams of Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, supplements did increase blood levels of glucose and the glucose-regulating hormone insulin for a short period. However, they had no effect on the students’ muscle strength. In addition, Williams and his colleagues found that body fat and body mass percentages did not change for any of the students - regardless of whether they trained or had taken the supplement.

Just in the summertime, the American Academy of Dermatology has some words of warning about the sun. You can take effective measures to cut your risk of getting skin cancer. "The main steps for preventing skin cancer are wearing a sunscreen of at least 15 SPF (sun protection factor), avoiding the sun at mid-day and wearing protective clothing," advise most doctors. And the head is one of the most important areas. "The hair provides some protection, but if you have a bald patch that’s going to be exposed, you can get skin cancer", say researchers. So it’s essential that people at a higher risk of skin cancer or those with skin cancer in their family history or with fair skin, get regular screenings. "Studies have shown that 80 per cent of your skin’s damage occurs before the age of 20," doctors say. "So we recommend that people do a full skin examination every month, and those who are at high risk get checked on an annual basis by a dermatologist".

Broken bones hurt. But did you ever wonder why? After all, nerves are the pathways that allow us to feel pain and bones don’t have nerves. As it turns out, the thin covering of a bone contains nerves, according to the University of Iowa College of Nursing. When the nerves send their message to the brain, the body responds by sending fluid to promote healing. Those surrounding tissues soak up extra fluid, and that’s what we see as swelling. Elevating the broken bone relieves the swelling, because gravity keeps some fluid from reaching its destination. So, if you break a bone, relax and raise the fracture.

Researchers at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital say that seven factors predict whether a person will be happy and healthy at 70 and beyond:

- not smoking

- not abusing alcohol

- not being depressed

- having good coping skills

- staying at the proper weight

- exercising regularly

- maintaining a harmonious long-term relationship.

Dr George E Vaillant, who directed the study, likens it to keeping a car running smoothly. "For the first few years, a Mercedes runs a lot better than a Chevy, but after 30 years, maintenance is everything."

(courtesy : The Times of India, Delhi)