Filtered swine

Recession is surely ebbing. Maybe it’s slow at the IT front, but the pharmaceutical and the surgical manufacturing companies are celebrating early Diwali. What with new viruses being discovered and the spurt in the sale of face masks and hand sanitizer. Not to forget the many immunity booster and the vitamins. Long queues of petrified people are seen outside the chemist shop, who doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned to ward off the swine that’s on loose or the inevitable death.

Suddenly, the Nokia N95 is seen fencing an unprecedented challenge from the less sung N95 respirator. Instead of marvelling at the technological extravaganga of the Nokia offspring, people are now exchanging notes on the different N 95s (not Nokia) in the market. (After all people need to air their view.) So, the long queues (of people) near the chemist shops.

I wonder, again an obscure thought, why has the government not called for a week shut down of the chemist shops? Surely, this is the current hot hang out destination.So, I am not surprised to hear of more swine flu cases getting registered.

People buy the N95 to ward off the swine. After all they get to breathe filtered air for 3 days. That’s what the manufacturing company and the chemist say “use the N 95 for 3 days”. But doctors say not to reuse it. They recommend cotton reusable mask.

(Talking about filtered air, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes up with an idea to manufacture ‘air guard’ or ‘pure air’; a cousin of aquaguard. The look would be something like a scuba diving mask with a small apparatus for 3 way filtration process.)

Coming back to N95 (again not Nokia), truly a blessing in these baneful times. No laughing matter. After all, it keeps the artiodactyls at bay! It purifies the ‘contaminated’ air. And we contaminate it further by throwing the masks on the road (Yaar, idhaar phek kachra already jamaa hai) and we queue up again to buy more masks and again throw it on the kachrae ka heap. Whoever said that our purchasing power has declined must be choking now. That’s what is keeping the economy on the move.

Entry of the street children and the rag pickers, non human, roadside pests, menace to the society, doesn’t matter to us if they fall ill. Population decline, less gundaegee (dirt) … the saga continues. We are God; we have the right to label humans. We only need to see that we are secured, secured from financial woes and illness, how these lesser mortal lives is of no concern to us. We get pest control done for our home, but don’t even give it a thought when we throw the small plastic wrapper or the chocolate wrapper from our air-conditioned car on the road, after all, the road is already gunda. And N 95, we throw it the farthest. Never near our home.

Ok, but there are concerned people too. They throw the used N95, wrapped in a plastic zip pouch, in their dustbin. How empathetic! These are the people who do their 2 bits for the society; gives charity regularly to the “Most” reputable NGO (gets the tax benefit). Wonderful! The garbage disposable van comes and collects the garbage in an open truck. The nicely wrapped used N95 too, finds a place in the open van. A strong wind and on the road (have seen this happening). And, it is the same story all over again.

To quote a doctor from the esteemed AIIMS, “Most N95 respirators are designed to filter 95% particulates of 0.3µ, while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1µ. Hence, dependence on N95 to protect against H1N1 is like protecting against rain with an umbrella made of mosquito net.”

If at all you need to use a mask, use cloth mask. The best bet is to use a clean handkerchief. You can go home and wash it. I am not even itsy bitsy surprised about the swine flu pandemic. Ye toh hona he tha!

Anti-Rape Female Condom

( This is an excerpt from the mail sent by my sis, Navanita)

A South African inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom that hooks onto an attacker's penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the world.

The device, made of latex and held firm byshafts of sharp barbs, can only be removed from the man through surgerywhich will alert hospital staff, and ultimately, the police.

It also reduces the chances of a woman falling pregnant or contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases from the attacker by acting in the same way as a female condom.

South Africa has more people with HIV/AIDS than any other country, with onein nine of its 45 million population infected. Ehlers, who showed off a prototype on Wednesday, said women had tried it for comfort and it had been tested on a plastic male model but not yet on a liveman. Production was planned to start next year.

You can read more on it at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9145415/

I would love to hear your views on this - what do you think? Do you think this will reduce the frightening statistics on violence against women? DO you think this will deter rapists? What about gang rapes? What about rapes during war? What about rapes on women living in refugee camps with no orvery little access to resources?

Abuses of vitamins

How many of us are aware of the fact that excess intake of Vitamins poses immense health risk. City Doctors have sounded a red alert on the enormous use of vitamins. Doctors prescribe them at the slightest pretext. Besides, they are easily accessible across the counters.

Why do I need them?Vitamins are a group of organic compounds needed in minute quantities (less than 1 per cent of our food is composed of vitamins).
Vitamins regulate the body's metabolism, by speeding up chemical reactions, acting as antioxidants or forming an integral part of the structure of proteins, hormones and blood. The body cannot produce them so they must be supplied by food.Vitamins are needed in minute amounts for health, growth and to prevent vitamin-deficiency diseases such as scurvy (lack of vitamin C), beri-beri (vitamin B1), pellagra (vitamin B2) or rickets (vitamin D).

According to a reputed consultant eye specialist based in Jamshedpur, “Ideally, it is best to obtain all your vitamins from food, not pills. Food provides vitamins in the most biologically-available form, in the right amounts and combined with other complementary nutrients. Except under special circumstances, from food there is low risk of overdose.”

He is of the opinion that, there are certain groups who could benefit from a supplement (such as smokers, fussy eaters or the elderly). However he cautions to be wary of the over-enthusiastic promises made by vitamin sellers. Often the scientific evidence is not reliable, consisting of anecdotes from 'satisfied' patients or the people treating them. Not all the claims for supplements have been proven. A recent examination of studies into vitamin C and the common cold showed that it could slightly shorten the duration of colds - but not prevent them entirely. If you do take supplements, think of them only as a ‘top up’ to your daily diet. Supplements aren’t ‘magic bullets’ – they won’t supply everything we get from good food (as many beneficial phyto-chemicals are not found in any pill) nor can they counteract a bad diet with too much fat or salt. Often they leave you with a false sense of security so that you think you don’t need to worry about the junk you’ve eaten.In recent years, however, attitudes to supplements have changed, as numerous studies have emerged suggesting that supplements, especially the antioxidant supplements, are associated with better health outcomes.

Excess doses of vitamins results in the following dangers:

1.Excess vitamin A is toxic and causes loss of appetite, nausea and a dry itchy skin.

2.Excess beta-carotene can turn the skin and whites of the eyes an orange-yellow (which slowly disappears once the excess stops).

3.Excess vitamin D causes calcium to be deposited in soft tissues, as well as vomiting and diarrhoea.

4.Excess niacin causes flushing and interferes with liver function.

5.Overdose of vitamin B6 produces a loss of sensation in the body's extremities (due to damage to the sensory nerves).

Friends, take a deep breath, think twice before hopping to the neighbourhood pharmacy for you miracle pill.