Govt to set up NIMHANS-like institutes; every 20th Indian depressed: Nadda

April 8, 2017

New Delhi, Apr 8: Every 20th Indian is in the grip of depression, said Union Minister of Health JP Nadda on Friday and assured more NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences)-like institutes would be set up in the country.

depressedSpeaking at an event here to mark the World Health Day, Nadda also assured greater government focus on civil society organisations engaged in mental healthcare.

The health minister said that proper implementation of the Mental Health Policy would be ensured.

"Focus should be on pluralism, cross references and sharing of various practices covering geriatric, palliative and rehabilitative care. As part of its renewed strategy for mental healthcare services, the government is strengthening Public Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs)," said Nadda.

"Extensive training is being provided to ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) and ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives) at PHCs and CHCs, so that they can become the transformers, translators and change-makers within the community," he added.

The World Health Day, which falls on April 7 had Depression as its theme this year.

Highlighting the most progressive features of the Mental Health Bill, Nadda said: "Decriminalisation of suicide is another significant facet of the Mental Health Bill, which will ensure proper management of severe stress as a precursor for suicide attempts."

Globally, 322 million people were estimated to be suffering from depression in 2015, equivalent to 4.3 per cent of the world's population. Depression is ranked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the single-largest contributor to global morbidity and the estimated number of people living with depression increased by 18.4 per cent between 2005 and 2015.

The situation in India is more grave with over 20 million Indians suffering from depression.

Henk Bekedam, the WHO Representative to India, said that depression being the single-largest cause of morbidity globally, it is a public health priority and health concern for us.

"While the government legislates, creates an enabling environment and makes professional services available, the onus is on each one of us to reach out, be it a friend, a colleague, a neighbour or family and make a difference, even save a life. It is equally important for patients to seek help when depressed," said Bekedam.

According to WHO, globally nearly 800,000 people die every year, accounting for close to 1.5 per cent of all deaths, bringing it to the top 20 leading causes of death.

It is estimated that in 2012, India had over 258,000 suicides, with the age group of 15-29 years being the most affected.

In this context, Bekedam highlighted some recent developments that bode well for India in the area of mental health, including the mental health policy.

"The National Health Policy 2017 prioritises mental health services as a component of addressing non-communicable disease and decriminalises attempt to suicide and has a rights-based approach," said Bekedam.

At the function, Nadda also launched the Report Book on the Centre for Well Being at NIMHANS.

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Agencies
January 12,2020

Washington D.C., Jan 12: Disruption in one night's sleep can lead to getting Alzheimer's disease, a recent study has stated.

The interruption in the sound sleep for a single night aggravates the level of tau protein in any young male's body, thus gives rise to the chances of developing the disease.

According to CNN, the report was published on Wednesday in neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"Our study focuses on the fact that even in young, healthy individuals, missing one night of sleep increases the level of tau in blood suggesting that over time, such sleep deprivation could possibly have detrimental effects," says study author Dr Jonathan Cedernaes, a neurologist at Uppsala University in Sweden.

As defined by the Alzheimer's Association, tau is the name of a protein that helps in stabilizing the internal structure of the brain's nerve cells. An abnormal build-up of tau protein in the body can end up in causing interior cells to fall apart and eventually developing Alzheimer's.

"When you get more of that deep sleep and you get the REM sleep in the normal amounts, that improves clearance of abnormal proteins which we think is good," said Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr Donn Dexter, not the study author but a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

Earlier studies have also shown that getting deprived of sleep can allow higher tau development and accumulation. Thus that poor sleep can hasten the development of cognitive issues.

Researchers caution that the study is small and inconclusive, and acknowledged they were not able to determine what the increased levels might mean.

"This study raises more questions than answers," agreed Dexter on a concluding note, sharing, "What this is telling us is that we have to dig more deeply. Despite something we do for a third of our lives, we know so little about sleep and we're learning every day, particularly when it comes to sleep and dementia."

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Agencies
January 16,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 16: Kerala Tourism on Wednesday shared a recipe of a popular meat dish in the Central Travancore region of Kerala, Beef Ularthiyathu, which is a special delicacy in the region.

Taking to its Twitter handle, the Kerala Tourism wrote, "Tender chunks of beef, slow-roasted with aromatic spices, coconut pieces, and curry leaves. A recipe for the most classic dish, Beef Ularthiyathu, the stuff of legends, from the land of spices, Kerala."

The State Tourism also shared the recipe of the delicacy with Twitteratis.

The tweet which has garnered 3.5 thousand likes so far had received a mixed response

While some said "beef is not Kerala's culture", others termed the recipe 'a match made in heaven".

Dr Vireandta Jilowa wrote, "Surprised to see it, that beef is being consumed despite BJP government in the Centre."

"We are not slaves of BJP at the Centre....people eat whatever they like in this state, including beef, pork, mutton and fish," another user Tatheesh Vijayakumar wrote.

In 2017, The Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan had ordered that the ministry has notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 to ensure that the sale of cattle is not meant for slaughter purposes.

Regulating animal trade is a state business, but animal welfare is a central subject.

In lieu of this, there was widespread opposition of the order, with many states openly denying accepting the notification.

Porotta and Kappa biriyani with beef are counted as delicacies by Keralites. 

Also Read: The Art of Prepping Meat

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Agencies
February 27,2020

Washington D.C, Feb 27: New research shows that adults who have low fruit and vegetable intake are more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

"For those who consumed less than 3 sources of fruits and vegetables daily, there was at least at 24% higher odds of anxiety disorder diagnosis," says the lead author of the Canadian Longitudinal Study, Karen Davison, who is a health science faculty member, nutrition informatics lab director at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, (KPU) and North American Primary Care Research Group Fellow.

"This may also partly explain the findings associated with body composition measures. As levels of total body fat increased beyond 36%, the likelihood of anxiety disorder was increased by more than 70%," states co-author Jose Mora-Almanza, a Mitacs Globalink intern who worked with the study at KPU.

"Increased body fat may be linked to greater inflammation. Emerging research suggests that some anxiety disorders can be linked to inflammation," says Davison.

In addition to diet and body composition measures, the prevalence of anxiety disorders also differed by gender, marital status, income, immigrant status and several health issues.

An important limitation of the study was that the assessment of anxiety disorders was mostly based upon self-reporting of a medical diagnosis.

"It is estimated that 10% of the global population will suffer from anxiety disorders which are a leading cause of disability," says Karen Davison

"Our findings suggest that comprehensive approaches that target health behaviours, including diet, as well as social factors, such as economic status, may help to minimize the burden of anxiety disorders among middle-aged and older adults, including immigrants," she concluded.

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