Think about such things : by Anshu

Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears – it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of the neurological patients, music is even more – it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity. Music is life itself. Music therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses the naturally mood-lifting properties of music to help people improve their mental health and overall well-being. It’s a goal-oriented intervention that may involve:  Making music Writing songs Singing Dancing Listening to music Discussing music   This form of treatment may be helpful for people with depression and anxiety, and it may help improve the quality of life for people with physical health problems. Anyone can engage in music therapy; you don’t need a background in music to experience its beneficial effects.   How Music Can Be Therapeutic: Music therapy can be an activ

The fifth National Family and Health Survey (NFHS) carried out by the government between 2019 and 2021 has found India now has 1,020 women for every 1,000 men. According to the last census in 2011, there were 940 women for every 1,000 men and the child sex ratio [which counts children from nought to six years] was really abysmal at 918 girls for 1,000 boys, so how can there be such a drastic change in just 10 years? Nearly 4.6 crore (45.8 million) females are 'missing' in Indian demography in the year 2020, mainly due to pre and post-birth sex selection practices stemming from son preference and gender inequality, a recently released United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report has said. Why has the figure of females in India always been low? 1. Female infanticide. Doodh peeti was a method of female infanticide in which newborn girls were drowned in pails or pits of cow milk (doodh). During a census in 1805, the British officials

Some years ago, the hepatology community was abuzz when it was confirmed that coffee consumption could keep fatty liver disease in check. Now, research from Indiana University suggests that caffeine-the magic ingredient in coffee-might keep dementia at bay. Specifically, caffeine may boost the production of an enzyme important to brain function, affording protection against tauopathies such as frontotemporal dementia. The enzyme in question is nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyl transferase 2 (NMNAT2). Levels have been shown to be significantly reduced in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Huntington. Overexpression, in turn, appears to be neuroprotective in experimental models.  To identify substances that could boost production of NMNAT2, the research team, headed by Hui-Chen Lu, PhD, of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University, screened more than 1280 compounds. They ultimately found 24 with th

Anyone who’s ever been scolded by their elders for eating candy in the morning may now have reason to rejoice. A new study from researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests that eating a “concentrated amount” of chocolate every morning could actually help people burn fat, the hospital said. The study was led by Dr. Frank A. J. L. Scheer, a neuroscientist, and Dr. Marta Garaulet, a visiting scientist, the statement said. Both researchers work in the hospital’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders in the departments of medicine and neurology, according to the statement. The women, consumed “100g of chocolate” either within an hour of waking up in the morning or during the hour before bedtime at night. The study found that morning or nighttime chocolate intake didn’t lead to weight gain, and also that a high intake of chocolate during the morning hours could help burn fat and reduce blood glucose levels. “Our findings highlight that not only ‘what’ but also ‘when’

Mental disorders have had three major explanations, namely, the supernatural, biological and psychological models. For much of recorded history, deviant behavior has been considered supernatural and a reflection of the battle between good and evil. Mental illnesses were well known in ancient Mesopotamia, where diseases and mental disorders were believed to be caused by specific deities. Because hands symbolized control over a person, mental illnesses were known as "hands" of certain deities. One psychological illness was known as "Hand of Ishtar". Others were known as "Hand of Shamash", "Hand of the Ghost", and "Hand of the God". Descriptions of these illnesses, however, are so vague that it is usually impossible to determine which illnesses they correspond to in modern terminology. Mesopotamian doctors kept detailed record of their patients' hallucinations and assigned spiritual meanings to them. A patient who hallucina