Green Environment

Unfortunately, the widespread coronavirus pandemic has ruled our lives for the past two years. The constant arrival of new variants is posing demanding challenges for organisations and posing difficult scenarios for them to resume full-fledged operations. Expecting the workplace to return to their daily office routine is akin to wishing for a life on the moon. Being adaptable in terms of workplace norms is currently the best option, and thus the hybrid work environment has become the new normal. While there is always a silver lining to every cloud, technology has removed the stress of uncertainty from the heads of the bosses, and everyone has adjusted to working from their desks at home with online meetings and working scenarios. While we've all gotten used to the hybrid work environment, we can't ignore the impact it's having on us, both mentally and physically. Working online does not reduce stress in fact, it increases it in many ways. It is substantial to focus on our health while putting in our best foot forward towards our work. Let us look at some tips to remain healthy while working from home or from the office. Keep Yourself Hydrated: As much as we take this point casually, we should keep drinking water and maintain our fluid intake throughout the day to keep ourselves hydrated through all the exhaustion. The body gets dehydrated even when you're sitting inside the house, so you must develop a habit of keeping a water bottle with you and keep sipping the water. You must also include the intake of other healthy fluids like coconut water, buttermilk, lemon water, infused and detox water in your daily routine. If you are someone who has a habit of forgetting, you also have the option of setting drinking water alarms on your phone to remind you of the same. Eat Nutritious Food: While working we tend to munch on snacks but we must keep in mind that the importance of the three main meals should not be disregarded and one should have a proper balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner while working from both home and office. Skipping meals can be extremely harmful to the body and can cause severe gastric issues. A meal packed with proteins, carbs, fibres and other crucial nutrients keep you energized for the day and saves you from issues like bloating, gastric attacks and fatigue. Mid-Meal Snacking: As significant as it is to have a nutritious meal it is also necessary to snack in between to satisfy your hunger pangs. You must always keep a few healthy snacking options handy like roasted makhana, roasted peanuts, fruits, unsweetened nut butter, protein bars, and other healthy snacks so that it keeps you away from munching on unhealthy food items which have a high content of sugar and salt and are low on nutrition. They can cause bloating, weight gain and other health issues. Breathing Exercises: It is no secret that breathing exercises can calm you down, relax your mind and increase your focus. Breathing exercises enhance the oxygen flow in your blood and boost your energy. Deep breathing can help you fight anxiety and decrease your stress levels. Practising these exercises on a daily basis can keep your brain fresh and ready to take all the workload with a positive mindset. Stretching: When you're sitting on your work table with your laptop for extended hours you must take a break after every 30 minutes to 60 minutes where you get up and stretch your body. Stretching maintains the relaxation of the body and rejuvenates it to promote your strength and flexibility. Sitting in one place gives rise to backaches and pain in the knee joints. Stretching helps maintain the blood flow and keeps you fit. Wear Computer Glasses: You should be mindful of your screen time and wear computer glasses to avoid the blue light affecting your eyesight. With the increased work-from-home hours, you are forced to sit in front of the screen, and then even on your break, you use your mobile phone which takes your screen time to almost 18 hours a day causing red eyes, decreased eyesight, and watering of eyes. This can be hazardous in the long run hence one should take precautions and wear computer glasses to avoid any further complications to the eyesight. We must collectively aim to reduce mental and physical strain on our body and mind to keep ourselves healthy by keeping these significant tips in mind and being mindful of our own well being. (Aayushi Lakhapati, Cofounder & Chief Health Officer of Upnourish) Read More► Prior Heart Defect May Up Risk for Severe Covid: Study

Bhopal- A team of scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have in a review identified the biomolecular relationships between Covid-19, ageing, and diabetes. The review, published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, presented that existing drugs used to treat diabetes, obesity and ageing can potentially be used to treat Covid-19. Similar naturally existing biomolecules were also explored in combination for the Covid treatment. "There are classes of compounds such as polyphenols found in plant-based food, curcumin (found in turmeric), and resveratrol (found in grapes), have been shown to not only slow down the ageing process, but also possess anti-viral properties," said Dr. Amjad Husain, Principal Scientist, and CEO of Innovation and Incubation Center for Entrepreneurship (IICE), IISER Bhopal, in a statement. Some other polyphenols that the researchers have identified as being useful for both Covid-19 treatment and comorbidity conditions such as diabetes and ageing may include catechins (present in green tea, cocoa and berries), procyanidins (found in apples, cinnamon and grape skin), and theaflavin (found in black tea). The researchers also present evidence of some existing potential anti-ageing drugs such as Rapamycin that can be explored for the Covid-19 treatment because of the common biochemical pathways associated with these diseases. Another such example is a drug Metformin , which is usually used to control blood sugar. The review showed that at the molecular level, there are intersecting pathways that are common to diabetes, ageing, and Covid-19. All three conditions are associated with oxidative stress and lowering of the immune response and complications arising from them lead to the onset of numerous other diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, eye diseases, neuropathy (nerve diseases), and nephropathy (kidney problems). The researchers believe that an ideal therapeutic candidate for Covid-19 should be able to target the pathways that are common to diabetes, ageing and the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further, computational studies showed that lipids present in cell membranes play an important role in coronavirus infectivity. Natural compounds such as polyphenols may affect the binding of the virus to host receptors and the molecular interactions required for virus replication and release, thereby stopping the infection in its early stages, the team explained. Read More► Risk of Stroke Increases With Insulin Resistance: Study

New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) The Delhi Traffic Police on Friday created a 23 km green corridor in the city from Jasola to Rajendra Place, to help transport a cadaveric liver.The liver was transported from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in Jasola to BLK-Max Hospital in Rajendra Place, through the 23 km stretch in just 22 minutes. The liver donated by a 70-year-old male patient who suffered intracranial haemorrhage resulting in brain death, was transplanted to a 42-year-old BSF constable from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh at BLK. "We are happy to report that in a surgery that lasted almost seven hours, we managed to give a new lease of life to a 42-year-old male BSF constable, who had been waiting for the transplant for long," Dr Abhideep Chaudhary, Senior Director & HOD, HPB Surgery & Liver Transplantation, BLK, said in a statement. The constable was suffering from end stage liver disease with jaundice, ascites (abnormal build-up of fluid in the abdomen), hepatic encephalopathy (decline in brain function due to severe liver disease) and recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding. "He was admitted in our hospital since May 21 this year in a state of 'liver coma'. The patient was in a critical state, however, none of his family members were a match for donation," Chaudhary said. The patient is recovering well, the doctor said."We remain indebted to the family of the donor who decided to serve critical patients even in their time of loss. Organ donation can save so many precious lives and I really hope that everyone embraces this cause. We would also like to thank all authorities concerned like NOTTO, and the Delhi Police for taking swift action and making this possible," he added. --IANSrvt/bg