Oil Pulling and Ayurveda

Oil pulling is the latest trend to take the wellness community by storm, but it’s actually a traditional practice in Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, it’s when the balance of the three doshas viz. Vata, Pita and Kapha is disturbed that sickness can occur. To maintain order, specific treatments, including oil pulling, are determined based on a person’s dosha, or mind-body type.

And this pull toward wellness has seemingly reached the masses. All across the Internet, oil pulling has been said to whiten teeth, strengthen your gums and jaw, prevent gingivitis, rid the body of toxins, improve skin, clear sinuses, promote heart health, and even prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. But is it really worth the hype?

Oil pulling is one part of a daily morning routine in Ayurveda to cleanse the body called dhinacharya. Dhinacharya are these things we do for longevity. If you want longevity, you have a daily routine. It increases a person’s stability and mental focus.

Typically, upon waking up putting cool water on the eyelashes, rinsing the mouth with water, scraping the tongue, brushing the teeth and using the oil. Rinsing, scraping and brushing work together to manually remove bacteria from the mouth so that when you swish with oil, the oil has an ability to reach a little deeper to pull toxicity out and nourish the gums because it’s not stuck on all the other stuff.

But oil pulling is more than just moving oil around in your mouth. Ayurveda mentions two primary techniques—Gandusha and Kabala Graha. In Gandusha, you fill your mouth completely with oil and hold it there for three to five minutes. In Kabala Graha, you use a smaller amount of oil, swish between the teeth, and gargle at the back of the throat.

Oil is antimicrobial and gets into the tissues of the mouth to inhibit bacterial growth. Recent clinical studies have shown that oil pulling does decrease bacterial counts and plaque index in the mouth as well as halitosis (bad breath), similar to chlorhexidine mouthwash. Recently, a small pilot study showed that oil pulling reduced levels of Streptococcus mutans, a strain of bacteria associated with cavities. However, once participants stopped pulling oil, bacterial counts began to increase. It’s also worth noting that these studies included small sample sizes.

It has been seen that when a patient begins pulling oil, their gums no longer bleed and become pinker and healthier. In the longer term, this shows big strides in preventing tartar build-up and halting receding gums. Oil pulling can also effectively clean the mouth if someone has oral ulcerations, which make it painful to brush teeth normally. Much of this makes sense since the oil helps to manually remove bacteria and reduce inflammation. But what about the larger health claims?

We know there’s definitely a link between poor dental health and heart disease, but the connection between oil pulling and the other health benefits is a little fuzzy. Ayurveda recognizes the whole body as one system. Typically you’re not going to have inflammation in the mouth and not elsewhere, whether it’s the brain or the heart.

According to some practitioners, you can map the entire body on the tongue and channels connect the tongue to the rest of the body. So, cleansing and treating the tongue can help to bring other parts of the body into balance.

Additionally, since regularity is paramount to well-being in Ayurveda, simply “implementing dhinacharya can change people’s choices and encourage them to make healthier decisions overall. Once we start to change people’s mindset and bring catabolic changes in the body into check, we can have an effect on inflammation in the body.

Smokers’ taste buds do not allow them to taste bitterness of coffee

Though conventional pairing has cigarettes and coffee going together, researchers has found that the toxic chemicals in tobacco may hamper taste bud regeneration, resulting in smokers not being able to adequately taste the bitterness of their regular cup of coffee.

The researchers note that tobacco's chemicals are already known to cause a loss of taste in smokers, as well as structural changes to the fungiform papillae of the tongue - where taste buds are found. What has been unknown is to what extent smokers' taste range is affected, whether it returns to normal upon quitting smoking and if so, how long that takes.

Taste buds are largely responsible for conveying sweet, sour, bitter, salty and metallic sensations. To further investigate the changes in taste buds caused by smoking, they tested the ability of 451 study participants to recognize and rate intensity of the four basic tastes - sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

Dividing the participants into three groups (smokers, non-smokers and former smokers), the team conducted the voluntary tests during three separate and consecutive "World No-Tobacco Days."

A person's ability to recognize salty, sweet or sour tastes was not influenced by smoking status, the researchers say. However, smoking status did affect their ability to taste the bitterness in caffeine. While bitter receptors in the tongue are normally able to detect this sensation in even low concentrations, nearly 20% of smokers were not able to correctly identify the taste. Of the former smokers, 26.5% were not able to identify the taste, while only 13.4% of the non-smokers were unable to correctly identify the bitter samples.

The perception of bitter taste should be examined more closely, both as a tool for smoking cessation or for preventing smoking initiation. More generally, it should be worthwhile to consider the role of chemosensory perceptions in smoking behavior. The team believes the accumulation of some tobacco products in the body could impede taste buds regenerating, which could still affect a person's ability to recognize certain tastes after they have quit smoking.

How Clothing Can Affect Psoriasis?

If you're one with psoriasis, the simple act of getting dressed is not always so simple. Your clothing choices can affect more than just your style; they can actually help ease or exacerbate your symptoms.

For instance, certain types of clothing can aggravate skin irritation and flare-ups related to psoriasis, yet those with psoriasis often use clothing to mask symptoms. It can become a vicious circle if you aren’t careful.

Patients with psoriasis have very itchy, irritated, cracked dry plaques or areas of skin. As a consequence the skin will readily bleed. Because the skin is dry, cracked, and oozing at times, clothes will stick to the open areas, further contributing to the bleeding.

The good news is that there are things you can do, clothing-wise, to help manage the pain, bleeding, and discomfort associated with psoriasis. Consider these steps:

Choose cotton- Compared to other fabrics, cotton is less likely to irritate the skin or cause overheating. So try to wear lightweight cotton clothing next to your skin when possible, and avoid materials such as wool and synthetic fabrics. Synthetic clothes do not 'breathe' as much as cottons. Synthetic fabrics are a bit worse in part because they cause heat retention and also because they stick to the open areas.

Launder fragrance-free- Laundry detergent can also affect your psoriasis. It is recommended to use unscented detergents and fabric softeners. Sometimes scented products can aggravate psoriasis. Liquid detergents may be preferable to solid ones, as they dissolve better and detergent particles may be less likely to stick to clothing.

Go loose- Tight clothing can worsen the symptoms of psoriasis. Comfort is a very important issue for those with psoriasis. If an article of clothing is too tight, for example, and rubs on an existing lesion, it can cause more pain or irritate the sore. So choose looser clothing and undergarments when possible.

Wear light-colors to minimize the look of flakes- If you're concerned about skin flakes appearing on your clothing, remember that light colors and patterns typically hide flakes better than dark colors.

If you need to hide your psoriasis- A National Psoriasis Foundation survey found that 40 percent of patients reported choosing their clothing to hide their psoriasis. For days when you don’t want to deal with strangers’ reactions, wearing a long-sleeve shirt, full-length pants, and a strategically-placed scarf will reduce the number of unwanted stares. But be aware that covering up may contribute to heat retention, so choose fabrics wisely.

Also, keep in mind that as you're treating your skin condition, your comfort level with wearing different types of clothing may increase.

Being overweight may benefit older people!

A new study from Australia finds that people aged 65 and over with a body mass index in the overweight range live longer and suggests perhaps the World Health Organization guidelines on BMI may not be suitable for older people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines overweight as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25, and a BMI of 30 or over as obese. BMI is equal to a person's weight in kilos divided by the square of their height in meters (kg/m2).

Caryl Nowson, professor of nutrition and aging at Deakin University in Melbourne, and colleagues looked at links BMI and risk of death in people aged 65 and over, and found those with the lowest risk of death had a BMI of around 27.5. They also found those with a BMI between 22 and 23 - considered to be the normal weight range - had a significantly higher risk of death. They say their findings; question whether the WHO guidelines are suitable for older adults. Prof. Nowson suggests it is time to reassess them.

The current results showed that those over the age of 65 with a BMI of between 23 and 33 lived longer, indicating that the ideal body weight for older people is significantly higher than the recommended 18.5-25 'normal' healthy weight range.

വാതരോഗത്തിനെതിരെ കരുതലാവാം

സന്ധികളില്‍ ഒരിക്കലെങ്കിലും വേദനയോ നീരോ പിടുത്തമോ മരവിപ്പോ ഉണ്ടായിട്ടില്ലാത്തവര്‍ നമ്മളില്‍ ചുരുക്കമാണ്‌. പൊണ്ണത്തടിയുള്ളവര്‍ക്ക്‌ സന്ധിതേയ്‌മാനം മൂലവും മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ക്ക്‌ സന്ധികളില്‍ വേണ്ടത്ര വഴക്കം കിട്ടാത്തതു മൂലവും സന്ധിവേദനയും നീരും ഉണ്ടാകുന്നു. റുമാറ്റോയിഡ്‌ ആര്‍ത്രൈറ്റിസ്‌, റുമാറ്റിക്‌ ഫിവര്‍, ഡയബറ്റിക്‌ ന്യൂറൈറ്റിസ്, സോറിയാറ്റിക്‌ ആര്‍ത്രൈറ്റിസ്‌ തുടങ്ങിയവയെക്കുറിച്ചെല്ലാം ആയുര്‍വേദം എത്രയോ മുമ്പുതന്നെ വ്യക്‌തമായി പറയുന്നുണ്ട്‌.

കാല്‍മുട്ടു വേദന, തോള്‍ വേദന, കഴുത്തു വേദന തുടങ്ങി സന്ധികളില്‍ വേദനയും നീരുമുണ്ടാവുക, വെരിക്കോസ്‌ വെയിന്‍, പ്രമേഹം, പ്രഷര്‍, കൊളസ്‌ട്രോള്‍ വര്‍ധന, പിത്താശയത്തിലെ കല്ല് തുടങ്ങി പല രോഗങ്ങളുടേയും തിരനോട്ടകാലം കൂടിയാണ് നാല്‍പ്പതുകള്‍. പൊണ്ണത്തടിയും ഹൃദയ തകരാറും കൂടിയായാല്‍ ഏതാണ്ട്‌ എല്ലാമായി എന്നു പറയാം. ഇതോടൊപ്പം പ്രായം നല്‍കുന്ന വാതരോഗങ്ങളുടെ അലോസരം കൂടിയായാല്‍ അറുപതിനുശേഷം ഈ രോഗങ്ങളൊക്കെ നമ്മുടെ ശരീരത്തില്‍ ശക്‌തിപ്രകടനം നടത്തി തുടങ്ങും. 

നാല്‍പ്പതുകള്‍ക്കു ശേഷമാണ്‌ വാതത്തിന്‍റെ  കാലമാരംഭിച്ച്‌ ജരാനരകളോടെ വാര്‍ധക്യത്തിലേക്ക്‌ നയിക്കുന്നത്‌. അറുപത്‌ വയസാകുമ്പോഴേക്കും വാര്‍ധക്യ ദശയിലേക്ക്‌ കാലെടുത്തുവയ്‌ക്കുകയായി. ഈ പ്രായത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കാനും കുടിക്കാനും ചൂടുവെള്ളവും മിതമായ ഭക്ഷണവും വ്യായാമവും ശീലമാക്കുകയാണ്‌ വാതോപദ്രവം ഉണ്ടാകാതിരിക്കാന്‍ ശീലിക്കാവുന്ന എളുപ്പമാര്‍ഗം.

ഭക്ഷണം കഴിക്കുമ്പോള്‍

നാല്‍പ്പതിനുശേഷം ചിട്ടയായ ആഹാരരീതി ശീലിച്ചാല്‍ വാതോപദ്രവം തടഞ്ഞുനിര്‍ത്താന്‍ കഴിയും.

നാരുകള്‍ (ഫൈബേഴ്‌സ്) കൂടുതലുള്ള പച്ചക്കറികളും പഴങ്ങളും ആഹാരത്തില്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടുത്തണം. സന്ധികളേയും പേശികളേയുമാണ്‌ വാതം കൂടുതല്‍ ശല്യംചെയ്യുന്നത്‌. അതിനാല്‍ കാല്‍സ്യം കൂടുതലുള്ള ചെറുമീനും മുട്ടയുടെ വെള്ളക്കരുവും ചീരയും റാഗിയും നിര്‍ബന്ധമായും ആഹാരത്തിലുള്‍പ്പെടുത്തണം.

ചികിത്സ എന്തൊക്കെ?

ഫലപ്രദമായ ചികിത്സകള്‍ വാതരോഗത്തിനായി ആയുര്‍വേദത്തിലുണ്ട്‌. ഘൃതവും തൈലങ്ങളുംകൊണ്ടുള്ള പ്രയോഗങ്ങള്‍, കഷായവും അരിഷ്‌ടവും ചൂര്‍ണവും ലേഹ്യവുമുള്ള യുക്‌താനുസരണ ചികിത്സാരീതികള്‍ എന്നിവയാണ്‌ പ്രധാനപ്പെട്ടവ. പഞ്ചകര്‍മ്മങ്ങളായ വമനം, വിരേചനം, വസ്‌തി, രക്‌തമോക്ഷം  എന്നീ ശോധന ചികിത്സാരീതികളുമുണ്ട്‌.

സാധാരണ വാതരോഗങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്‌ ശോധന ചികിത്സയ്‌ക്ക് മുമ്പുചെയ്യുന്ന പിഴിച്ചില്‍, ധാര, കിഴി എന്നിവയ്‌ക്കുശേഷം വയറിളക്കിയാല്‍ മതി. ചെറിയ വാത ഉപദ്രവങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്‌ എണ്ണതേച്ച്‌ ചൂടുവെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിച്ചാല്‍ ആശ്വാസം ലഭിക്കും. പരിചയസമ്പന്നനായ ചികിത്സകന്‍റെ മേല്‍നോട്ടത്തില്‍ മാത്രമേ വാതചികിത്സ നടത്താവൂ.

ആഹാര നിയന്ത്രണത്തോടൊപ്പം വ്യായാമത്തിനും വാതരോഗനിയന്ത്രണത്തില്‍ വളരെയേറെ പ്രാധാന്യമുണ്ട്‌. നടത്തം, സൈക്കിള്‍ ചവിട്ടല്‍, നീന്തല്‍, പൂന്തോട്ടനിര്‍മ്മാണം തുടങ്ങി അര മണിക്കൂറെങ്കിലും വ്യായാമത്തിലേര്‍പ്പെട്ട്‌ ശരീരത്തെ ഊര്‍ജസ്വലമാക്കി നിര്‍ത്തുന്നത്‌ വാതരോഗാക്രമണത്തെ തടഞ്ഞുനിര്‍ത്താന്‍ സഹായകമാണ്‌.

കടപ്പാട്: മംഗളം ദിനപത്രം 

Fighting antibiotic resistance with honey

Honey, that delectable condiment for breads and fruits, could be one sweet solution to the serious, ever-growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, researchers say.

Medical professionals sometimes use honey successfully as a topical dressing, but it could play a larger role in fighting infections, the researchers predicted. The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance. That is, it uses a combination of weapons, including hydrogen peroxide, acidity, osmotic effect, high sugar concentration and polyphenols - all of which actively kill bacterial cells, she explained. The osmotic effect, which is the result of the high sugar concentration in honey, draws water from the bacterial cells, dehydrating and killing them.

In addition, several studies have shown that honey inhibits the formation of biofilms, or communities of slimy disease-causing bacteria. Honey may also disrupt quorum sensing, which weakens bacterial virulence, rendering the bacteria more susceptible to conventional antibiotics. Quorum sensing is the way bacteria communicate with one another, and may be involved in the formation of biofilms. In certain bacteria, this communication system also controls the release of toxins, which affects the bacteria's pathogenicity, or their ability to cause disease.

Another advantage of honey is that unlike conventional antibiotics, it doesn't target the essential growth processes of bacteria. The problem with this type of targeting, which is the basis of conventional antibiotics, is that it results in the bacteria building up resistance to the drugs.

Honey is effective because it is filled with healthful polyphenols, or antioxidants. These include the phenolic acids, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and ellagic acid, as well as many flavonoids. Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between the non-peroxide antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of honey and the presence of honey phenolics. A large number of laboratory and limited clinical studies have confirmed the broad-spectrum antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties of honey.

Children also shape parents' behaviour!!

Scientists have presented the most conclusive evidence yet that genes play a significant role in parenting. A new   study published in Psychological Bulletin, a research journal of the American Psychological Association sheds light on another misconception: that parenting is solely a top-down process from parent to child. While parents certainly seem to shape child behaviour, parenting also is influenced by the child's behaviour -- in other words, parenting is both a cause and a consequence of child behaviour.

 

The study by two Michigan State University psychologists refutes the popular theory that how adults parent their children is strictly a function of the way they were themselves parented when they were children. While environmental factors do play a role in parenting, so do a person's genes, says S. Alexandra Burt, associate professor of psychology and co-author of a study led by doctoral student Ashlea M. Klahr.

 

"The way we parent is not solely a function of the way we were parented as children," Burt said. "There also appears to be genetic influences on parenting." Klahr and Burt conducted a statistical analysis of 56 scientific studies from around the world on the origins of parenting behavior, including some of their own. The comprehensive analysis, involving more than 20,000 families from Australia to Japan to the United States, found that genetic influences in the parents account for 23 percent to 40 percent of parental warmth, control and negativity towards their children.

 

"One of the most consistent and striking findings to emerge from this study was the important role that children's characteristics play in shaping all aspects of parenting," the authors writes.

പ്രമേഹരോഗ നിയന്ത്രണത്തിന് നാട്ടറിവുകളും....

ആധുനിക ജീവിത സാഹചര്യങ്ങള്‍ കാരണം വ്യാപകമായിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന പല രോഗങ്ങള്‍ക്കും ഫലപ്രദമായ പരിഹാര വിധികള്‍ ആയുര്‍വേദം വാഗ്ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നുണ്ട്. ഇവയില്‍ പലതും കാലങ്ങളായി നമ്മുടെ മുന്‍തലമുറകള്‍ അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചു പോന്നവയുമാണ്.

ഒരു തലമുറ ഈ ലോകത്ത് നിന്ന് കൊഴിയുമ്പോള്‍ അനേകം നാട്ടറിവുകളുടെ സമ്പത്താണ് നമുക്ക് നഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്നത്.  നമുക്ക് കൈമോശം വന്നുപോകുന്ന ഇത്തരം നാട്ടറിവുകളെ ശേഖരിച്ച് ഒരു സൂക്ഷിച്ചുവെക്കുകയും, അവ ജനങ്ങളിലേക്കെത്തിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നതിനായി കേരള സര്‍ക്കാരിന്‍റെ വിവര സാങ്കേതിക വകുപ്പിന്‍റെ ആഭിമുഖ്യത്തില്‍ പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കുന്ന കേരള ഇന്നവേഷന്‍ ഫൌണ്ടേഷന്‍ പദ്ധതി ലക്ഷ്യമിടുന്നു. കേരളത്തിന്‍റെ പരമ്പരാഗതമായ അറിവുകളും,   പ്രാദേശികമായ കണ്ടുപിടുത്തങ്ങളും തിരിച്ചറിയുവാനും അര്‍ഹിക്കുന്ന പ്രാധാന്യവും പ്രോത്സാഹനവും നല്കുവാനുമായി രൂപം നല്‍കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ളതാണ് ഈ പദ്ധതി.

ഈ പദ്ധതിയുടെ വെബ് പോര്‍ട്ടലില്‍ ആയുര്‍വേദത്തിലൂടെയുള്ള പ്രമേഹരോഗ നിയന്ത്രണത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് നല്‍കിയിരിക്കുന്ന ലേഖനമാണ് ചുവടെ:  

 

പ്രമേഹം നിയന്ത്രിക്കാന്‍ ആയുര്‍വേദം

പ്രമേഹരോഗത്തെ നിയന്ത്രിക്കാന്‍ ആയുര്‍വേദത്തിലൂടെ ഫലപ്രദമായി സാധിക്കും. ശരിയായ ഔഷധപ്രയോഗത്തോടൊപ്പം പഥ്യാഹാരവും വ്യായാമവും എണ്ണതേച്ചുകുളി തുടങ്ങിയവയും ശീലിക്കണം.  മധുരം, പുളി, എരിവ്, പകലുറക്കം, അലസത എന്നിവ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുകയും വേണം.

പ്രമേഹചികിത്സയില്‍ പ്രഥമവും പ്രധാനവുമായ ഭാഗം ആഹാരക്രമീകരണമാണ്. എന്നാല്‍ ആഹാരത്തെ ഒഴിവാക്കുകയുമരുത്.  ഗോതമ്പ്, റാഗി, യവം, പയറുവര്‍ഗങ്ങള്‍, പാവയ്ക്ക, കോവയ്ക്ക, വെണ്ടക്ക, വാഴക്കൂമ്പ്, വാഴപ്പിണ്ടി, ഇലക്കറികള്‍, ചെറു മത്സ്യങ്ങള്‍ ഇവയൊക്കെ മാറിമാറി ഭക്ഷണത്തിലുള്‍പ്പെടുത്താം. ശീതളപാനീയങ്ങളും മറ്റും നിത്യോപയോഗത്തിന് നല്ലതല്ല.  മോര്, നാരങ്ങാനീര്, കരിങ്ങാലിയോ വേങ്ങയോ വെന്തവെള്ളം ഇവയൊക്കെ ദാഹശമനത്തിന് ഉപയോഗിക്കാം. കഞ്ഞി, ചോറ് ഇവ പാകം ചെയ്യുമ്പോള്‍ ചെറൂള, കറുക എന്നിവ ചതച്ച് കിഴികെട്ടിയിടുന്നത് ആഹാരത്തെത്തന്നെ ഔഷധമാക്കി മാറ്റുന്നു. പ്രമേഹരോഗികള്‍ ആഹാരത്തില്‍ കൊഴുപ്പിന്‍റെ അളവ് വര്‍ധിക്കാതിരിക്കാന്‍ ശ്രദ്ധിക്കണം.

ചിട്ടയായ വ്യായാമം പ്രമേഹരോഗ നിയന്ത്രണത്തോടൊപ്പം രക്തസമ്മര്‍ദ്ദവും കൊളസ്ട്രോളും അമിതവണ്ണവും കുറയ്ക്കുകയും മാനസിക പിരിമുറുക്കങ്ങള്‍ അകറ്റുകയും ചെയ്യും.

നാല്പാമരാദികേരം, ഏലാദികേരം, ധന്വന്തരം കുഴമ്പ്, പിണ്ഡതൈലം ഇവയില്‍ ഏതെങ്കിലും ദേഹത്ത് തേച്ചുകുളിക്കുന്നത് നാഡികളെയും പാദങ്ങളെയും ത്വക്കിനെയും കണ്ണുകളെയും ഒരുപോലെ സംരക്ഷിക്കും.  പ്രമേഹരോഗി ഔഷധോപയോഗത്തോടൊപ്പം ഉലുവ പൊടിച്ചോ വെള്ളത്തിലിട്ടുവെച്ചോ ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നത് ഉത്തമമാണ്.  ഭക്ഷണത്തില്‍ മഞ്ഞളിന്‍റെ ഉപയോഗം വര്‍ധിപ്പിക്കാനും ശ്രദ്ധിക്കണം.

15 മില്ലി നെല്ലിക്കാനീരില്‍ അര ടീസ്പൂണ്‍ മഞ്ഞള്‍പൊടി ചേര്‍ത്ത് രാവിലെ വെറും വയറ്റില്‍ സേവിക്കാം. വാഴപ്പിണ്ടിനീരില്‍ മഞ്ഞള്‍പൊടി ചേര്‍ത്ത്  ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നതും കടുക്കാത്തൊണ്ട്, കുമ്പിള്‍വേര്, മുത്തങ്ങ, പാച്ചോറ്റിത്തൊലി ഇവ സമം കഷായംവെച്ചു കുടിക്കുന്നതും പ്രമേഹരോഗികള്‍ക്ക് ഗുണപ്രദമാണ്. നിശാകതകാദി കഷായം പതിവായി സേവിച്ചാല്‍ പ്രമേഹം നിയന്ത്രണവിധേയമാകും.

കടപ്പാട്:

http://kif.gov.in/ml/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=628&Itemid=29

Intelligent people are more likely to trust others

New research from the University of Oxford in the UK suggests that intelligent individuals are more likely to trust other people, compared with those who are less brainy. For this study, the investigators analyzed data from the General Social Survey .The survey asks participants questions regarding their socioeconomic characteristics, behaviors and social attitudes.

The researchers note that data from the survey has been used in past research to assess generalized trust and intelligence, but this study is the first to use the data to determine the relationship between the two. As part of the survey, participants' intelligence levels are measured through a 10-word vocabulary test and an assessment that determines how well participants understood the survey questions. The researchers found that participants who scored highly on measures of intelligence were more likely to trust others, compared with those who had low scores on intelligence levels. This finding remained even after the team accounted for the participants' socioeconomic characteristics, including marital status, education and income.

Explaining potential reasons for this finding, the investigators say that smarter individuals are better judges of character, so they tend to develop relationships with people who are less likely to betray them. Intelligent people also tend to be better at weighing up situations, according to the researchers. Therefore, they are able to identify a strong incentive for the other party to stick to their side of an agreement.

This finding supports what other researchers have argued, namely that being a good judge of character is a distinct part of human intelligence which evolved through natural selection. However, there are other possible interpretations of the evidence, and further research is needed to disentangle them.

Tea can potentially affect the iron absorption in humans!

More people drink tea than any other beverage except water. Tea, especially green tea, may lower your risk for health conditions including cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol. However, tea can also decrease the amount of iron you absorb, which can be important if you already don't consume enough iron.

Iron is an essential mineral that your body uses to form red blood cells, which transport oxygen around your body. Iron is also necessary for your body to produce energy. If you are deficient in iron, you will feel tired, have a harder time remembering things, be more likely to get sick and have difficulty maintaining your body temperature.

Drinking tea can decrease the absorption of iron from plant-based sources. Compounds in tea bind to iron, decreasing its absorption by up to 64 percent, according to Consumer Reports. However, published research reports note that if you are healthy and don't have a risk of iron deficiency, you don't have to restrict your tea drinking. Most people consume enough iron that this isn't an issue to be concerned about.

For those who may be at risk of iron deficiency, drink your tea at least an hour before or after meals and make an effort to consume either more fish, poultry or meat or more foods containing vitamin C when you eat plant-based forms of iron. Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron. These will minimize the effects of drinking tea on your iron status.

People most at risk for iron deficiency include children, athletes, the elderly, pregnant women and women who could become pregnant. Vegetarians also need to watch their iron intake, although most vegetarians consume sufficient amounts of iron from plant sources to avoid iron deficiency. Coffee and red wine contain similar compounds to those in tea that can bind to iron, so people at risk for iron deficiency should avoid consuming these beverages at meals as well.

Environmental toxins escalate autism incidence rates!

Recently, researchers have found that rates of autism and intellectually disability can be correlated with incidence of genital malformation in newborn males- an indicator of fetus exposure to harmful environmental factors, such as pesticides.

As an indicator of parental exposure to environmental toxins, the research team form University of Chicago looked at the levels of congenital malformations of the reproductive system in males. They note that male fetuses are very sensitive to certain environmental toxins, and such exposure is believed to lead to reproductive malformations existing at birth, including micropenis and undescended testicles.

On assessing the incidence rates of autism and intellectual disability (ID), the team found that every 1% increase in malformations was linked to a 283% increase in autism and a 94% increase in ID. They also found that higher autism rates had higher ID rates. The researchers say this supports the presence of harmful environmental factors.

Furthermore, the researchers discovered that male children with autism were almost six times more likely to have genital malformations at birth.