Laughter has positive impact on vascular function

 Cardiology 

Watching a funny movie or sitcom that produces laughter has a positive effect on vascular function and is opposite to that observed after watching a movie that causes mental stress according to research conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

"The idea to study positive emotions, such as laughter came about after studies had shown that mental stress caused blood vessels to constrict", says Dr. Michael Miller, Professor of Medicine and lead investigator.

In their initial study more than 10 years ago, 300 men and women with or without heart disease completed a questionnaire related to situational-humor. For example, if you went to a party and saw someone wearing the same clothes as you, on a scale of 1 to 5 (ranging from not funny at all to very funny) how would you respond? The volunteers with heart disease were 40% less likely to find these situations funny. Even though this study was unable to prove whether a humorous response to situations in daily life may protect against heart disease, (or the lack of such a response is more common after a heart attack), it led to the next series of studies testing whether laughter may directly affect vessel function.

In this manner, volunteers watched segments of a funny movie, such as "There's something about Mary" on one day and on another day watched the opening segment of the stressful movie "Saving Private Ryan". Each volunteer served as his or her own control.

When study volunteers watched the stressful movie, their blood vessel lining developed a potentially unhealthy response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow. This finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels. However, after watching the funny movie, the blood vessel lining expanded.

Overall, more than 300 measurements were made with a 30-50% difference in blood vessel diameter between the laughter (blood vessel expansion) and mental stress (blood vessel constriction) phases. "The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium after laughing was consistent and similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic exercise or statin use" says Dr. Miller.

The endothelium has a powerful effect on blood vessel tone and regulates blood flow, adjusts coagulation and blood thickening, and produces chemicals in response to injury and inflammation. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

"The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so it is very possible that laughing on a regular basis may be useful to incorporate as part of an overall healthy lifestyle to prevent heart disease. In other words, eat your veggies, exercise and get a good belly laugh every day" says Dr. Miller.

Although the results of the brachial artery blood flow measurements appear to make a connection between laughter and vascular health, more studies are needed. "What we really need is a randomized clinical trial to determine whether positive emotions reduce cardiovascular events above and beyond today's standard of care therapies", concluded Dr. Miller.

Provided by European Society of Cardiology

"Laughter has positive impact on vascular function." August 29th, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-laughter-positive-impact-vascular-function.html

Comment:
"if you went to a party and saw someone wearing the same clothes as you"
Overalls with no shirt and a straw hat...everyone!!...never been to a barn dance?
But its different for women ~ men are only annoyed if someone is caught wearing your clothes, particularly if they are the clothes you arrived in...

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

UCLA memory fitness program improves memory abilities of oldest adults

 Psychology & Psychiatry 

Who hasn't forgotten someone's name, misplaced their glasses or walked into a room and not remembered why they entered? Normal age-related memory decline affects more than half of all seniors, and those over 80 are the most vulnerable.

A new UCLA study has found that a memory fitness program offered to older adults in their senior living communities helped improve their ability to recognize and recall words, benefitting their verbal learning and retention.

Published in the September issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study also found that as a result of the program, seniors' self-perceived memory improved, an important factor in maintaining a positive outlook on life while aging. The average age of participants in the study was 81.

"It was exciting to see how much older adults participate in a memory fitness program and improve," said study author Dr. Karen Miller, an associate clinical professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "The study demonstrates that it's never too late to learn new skills to enhance one's life."

As people get older, it takes longer to learn new information and to retrieve it, including names, dates, the location of household objects, meetings, and appointments, according to the study's senior author, Dr. Gary Small, UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging and director of the UCLA Longevity Center.

The six-week, 12-session program differed from other cognitive training courses in that it offered not only memory-training techniques but also education about lifestyle factors that may impact memory ability and overall brain health. Participants learned stress-reduction exercises and were instructed about the importance of daily physical exercise and maintaining a healthy diet rich in antioxidants.

"Lifestyle and environmental factors may play a role in cognitive decline, so our program included education about healthy living in addition to memory-training techniques," said Small, who is also a professor at the Semel Institute.

Although the UCLA team has offered similar programs in other settings, such as at senior centers and on the UCLA campus, this is one of the first times that such a comprehensive memory program has been designed for and offered in a retirement living community. This made participation easier, since seniors in most cases simply walked down a hallway rather than having to drive to a class off-site.

The study involved 115 seniors at two full-service retirement communities in Maryland that are part of Erickson Living, a leading continuing-care community developer and manager. Participants lived in the "independent" level of care in these communities and had memory complaints, but they had not been diagnosed with dementia and were not taking any medications for memory loss.

Half the participants were enrolled in the memory fitness program and received memory testing before beginning the program and after completion to assess improvement. The other half were placed on a waiting list for the program and acted as study controls.

Miller and Small developed a scripted curriculum for trainers who led the classes, and they provided a companion workbook for participants. Trainers in the study were employees of the Erickson Living retirement communities and had backgrounds in academia and health-related fields.

The one-hour education sessions focused on memory enhancement. They included explanations of how memory works; offered quick strategies for remembering names, faces and numbers; and provided basic memory tools such as linking ideas and creating visual images. Trainers also discussed the role of a healthy lifestyle in protecting and maintaining memory.

Among the older adults attending the classes, the researchers found marked improvement in verbal memory, as well as improvements in how they perceived their memory, compared with the controls.

"We found that the memory fitness program was readily accepted by residents in our senior living communities and that it directly benefited many of them," said John Parrish, Ph.D., executive director of the Erickson Foundation. "In fact, we are now offering the program in nearly all of our 16 communities across the nation."

"The study suggests that the memory fitness program may be a cost-effective means of addressing some of the memory-related concerns of healthy older adults," Parrish added.

Provided by University of California - Los Angeles

"UCLA memory fitness program improves memory abilities of oldest adults." August 29th, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-ucla-memory-abilities-oldest-adults.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

3 WAYS TO BEAT YOUR COMPETITION

It’s the weekend and you cannot wait to get out of the city! The only obstacle between you and the freedom of the road is that you do not have a car! There is the option to rent or you could also try out the new hip option Zipcar.

Zipcar is another form of rental car which has quickly distinguished itself from the competition. Its traveling via word of mouth fast and gaining volumes of customers who appreciate the ease and broad availability of the service. Want to know how this company achieved such success? Find out here!

U.S. News Money leaks Zipcar’s formula for success…

Keep it simple. This is a self-service business that requires no face-to-face interaction, so it’s got to be hassle free. To join, customers pay a $25 application fee and choose between an hourly plan and a prepaid driving plan. Within a few days, a Zipcard (which serves as a car door key) arrives in the mail, along with a three-step instruction book explaining how to activate the card, reserve a car, and unlock it.

Invest in technology. It’s often easier to buy technology than to make it. But Zipcar chose the tough road, says chief executive Scott Griffith, because “nothing out there came close to what we wanted to deliver.” The result is a unique system that uses radio frequency identification to lock and unlock the cars, as well as wireless technology to monitor such information as miles driven, battery voltage, and fuel level.

Go where your competition won’t. Zipcar is courting college students, a population that car rental companies have largely ignored because of liability concerns. The idea, says Griffith, is to gain early adopters who will continue using the service when they graduate

Singing the Glories

“Shri Rama personally gave liberation to Shabari, the vulture Jatayu and those who performed wonderful devotional service, whereas the holy name has liberated countless wretches; a fact well-established in the Vedas, which sing of its glories.” (Dohavali, 32) sabarī gīdha susevakani sugati dīnhi raghunātha |  nāma udhāre amita khala beda bidita guna gātha || The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, have many branches of information, fruits of knowledge which illuminate the path to success in various ventures. Look in one direction and you’ll find information on how to maintain a successful business, what it takes to earn a profit and produce a steady output of the good or service that you are trying to sell. Look in another direction and you’ll find information on how to stand up to enemies, how to remain firm in the face of fear and trepidation. Any type of enjoyment you covet is covered by this wonderful set of guidelines for mankind, information which emanates from the original person. Despite the comprehensiveness of the information contained, at their core the Vedas are a collection of songs. These songs don’t speak of pain, misery, or scorned love. Rather, they simply glorify one person, whose good qualities can never be fully enumerated. This still doesn’t stop the Vedas from trying. In this effort the key ingredient is the holy name, a sound vibration which has liberated countless individuals, including some of the worst people. How is liberation secured? Moreover, what is the difference between saving someone who is a wretch and someone who is pious? Liberation in the spiritual sense refers to the future destination, the place someone is going. Think of boarding a train headed for a specific place. The passenger being kind, envious, or foolish has no bearing on whether or not the train will reach its target. In this respect, no one is above anyone else; all the passengers are in the same boat. Where there is a difference, however, is with discrimination, the ability to think critically and decide which train to board. A wise person may know a lot about the nature around them and how to manipulate things in their favor, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they will know where to go in life. For instance, I may know what it takes to succeed in politics. I can look at the current political landscape and figure out what it takes to get elected to office. This pursuit requires creating a contrast between myself and the opposing politicians. If the present conditions in society are favorable, the best course of action is to resist change. Double down on the current policies and say that I will do them even better. If things aren’t going so well at the moment, the best choice is to offer change, a different approach. I will say that I’ll do things differently and that I won’t repeat the same mistakes. One who can figure out how to continually get elected to office using these techniques certainly will be considered intelligent, but what about actually governing? What if the intelligent campaigner doesn’t know where to steer the country, where to direct the citizens that kindly offered their votes? In this sense the intelligence used to gain personal favor really has no lasting benefit. Any person can find their own temporary happiness, for in many instances just the absence of distress brings a positive condition. If the sun is shining brightly on a particular day, scorching its rays upon the ground, a way to gain relief is to find shade. But does this represent a permanent positive condition? If we sit all day in a tiny corner that is shaded, will we be happy? The wretched person is one who flaunts the laws of society and pays no concern for even their own temporary wellbeing. Thus they are considered worse off, for they don’t even have the ability to assess whether or not a particular path will lead them to the proper destination. The intelligent person finding temporary comfort can at least make the proper assessment if they are presented with enough information. The wretched person mired in ignorance will not accept any sound advice offered to them, no matter how sincere the person who is offering it is. The Vedas, which emanate from the wisest person, whose home is the proper destination for every single soul, are relevant to every type of person. This means that even the wretches can be sent to the sugati, or supreme destination, provided they take hold of one particular aspect of spirituality. When this aspect is ignored or wholly rejected, then the requirements for finding the ultimate destination are much stricter. In the above referenced verse from the Dohavali, Goswami Tulsidas nicely illustrates the difference. In the first section of this verse, the Vaishnava poet mentions Shabari, the vulture Jatayu and others who performed wonderful devotional service. They each found the supreme destination directly through the personal influence of Shri Raghunatha, who is also known as Lord Rama, the jewel of the Raghu dynasty. The Supreme Lord, the person from whom the Vedas emanate, has a spiritual form. Though He is described as formless and attributeless, these descriptions are meant to show that He is never limited in His abilities in the way human beings are. To give a glimpse into His spiritual bliss and the completeness of His qualities, He appears on earth every now and then in wonderful forms. His appearances are not like those of the spirit souls, who assume material elements and then discard them through the laws of karma.Reincarnation only acts upon us living entities looking for the right train in life. For the Supreme Lord, He is never beholden to karma, for He is the conductor of every train operating within the material existence. As Lord Rama, God shows us His sweet smiling face and His dedication to dharma, or piety. The main benefit of seeing God is having the ability to serve Him. Service is what takes place in the supreme destination anyway, so those who are given the opportunity to follow the same path in their present home are thus granted tremendous favor. This opportunity is not exclusive to the human beings or even the most intelligent class of men. Shabari was a female sage who lived a life of austerity and penance at the guidance of her spiritual teachers. While Rama was roaming the forests, He and His younger brother Lakshmana met her and ate the kind berries she offered. As a reward for her austerities, Shabari got to meet Rama, who subsequently granted her liberation. “That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is My supreme abode.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.21) Final liberation, or mukti, is the release from the cycle of birth and death. This comes about by finding a home that never gets destroyed. If the area we reside in never goes away, the body types we assume also never change when we live there. In the material world, everything must change, as the land itself is ultimately destroyed after many millions of years. In the supreme destination, however, there is never destruction. This land is described as unmanifest because it is beyond the perception of the senses, just as the Supreme Lord’s spiritual form is described asadhokshaja, or incapable of being observed by ordinary sense perception. The vulture Jatayu was given liberation when he died in Rama’s arms. Rama’s wife Sita Devi was taken against her will to the island of Lanka by a Rakshasa king named Ravana. Ravana perpetrated the iniquitous deed when Rama was not by Sita’s side to defend her. Almost getting away without any opposition, Ravana’s journey home was abruptly interrupted by Jatayu, who was a friend of Rama’s father, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. Though he tried his best to stop Ravana, Jatayu ultimately was mortally wounded in the battle. While taking his last breaths he met Rama and died in His arms. Seeing the Lord’s divine vision before him as he breathed his last, the vulture was given the reward of ascension to the supreme destination. Others were similarly awarded liberation when they performed wonderful devotional service, susevakani, for the Lord when He roamed the earth. While it may seem like personal association with God is the only way to break free from the cycle of birth and death, it is not. The holy name has actually liberated countless wretches throughout history. This fact is well established in the Vedas, which constantly sing of the glories of the holy name. Rama’s name is not different from Him; we only see a difference because we don’t know any better. Just as we say that the sun is not in the sky on a particular day, while in fact it hasn’t gone anywhere, we perceive that the Lord has different aspects, such as His name, form, qualities and activities, when in fact none of these things are different from one another. The holy name is especially potent because it can be invoked by any person. There are many mantras in the Vedas aimed at furthering specific purposes. If you want to bless your home with auspiciousness, you call a priest over and he performs a special sacrifice. During this ceremony, he must recite the specific mantras perfectly in order to get the intended effect. Just as someone is sworn into an office by reciting an oath, the sacrifice matures once the required words are uttered perfectly by a qualified priest. With the holy name the purpose is to increase attachment and love for God. Therefore it doesn’t even need to be recited in a formal setting or by someone who is trained in the process. Rather, simply by saying sacred formulas like, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the mind can gradually be cleansed of all impurities. The worst wretch can be cured of his mental ailments, his sinful behavior and his tendency towards activities driven by ignorance. Most important of all, the sinner is placed on the train headed for the supreme destination. This train doesn’t require any entry fee except love for God. Thus the wise and the unintelligent are both allowed entry, provided they have purified themselves through devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. While those who directly offered their service to Rama were blessed with the supreme destination, this doesn’t mean that the service and its benefits are kept from those who don’t have the luxury of meeting Rama face to face. The holy name facilitates the exchange of blissful emotions with the Supreme Spirit for any person, regardless of their particular spiritual tradition. Real religion is meant to bring one to the platform of loving God, so there can be no question of sectarian boundaries when dealing with divine love, which is best practiced through chanting the holy names. The Vedas continue to sing the never-ending song, which is made up of the holy names and its glories. There are countless names for the Lord, with each one addressing a specific feature or pastime. Just reciting the name “Rama” over and over again brings the kind husband of Sita into our consciousness. As Rama is glorious, so are those who are intimately associated with him, the liberated souls who never give up His service. The holy name brings with it Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. With this spiritual family residing always in your consciousness, how can any destination except the supreme abode be in your future?

THE RIGHT TIME TO RETIRE: 3 RETIREMENT STRATEGIES

It would be nice to retire early, but it’s also important to have enough to survive on assuming you live to a ripe old age. So when is the best time to quit the job and enjoy life? This article explains some pros and cons of different times to retire so that you can make the best possible decision for you!

Money-Zine.com recommends…

Right Time to Retire

Figuring out the right time to retire is not an easy decision.  We could make detailed retirement plans, and work those plans hard for 20 years, only to fall victim to health problems that might cut our retirement years short.  We’re going to take a more upbeat approach to retiring, and start out with a very simple assumption:  We’re all going to live a full and rewarding life in retirement.  So let’s figure out when is the right time to retire.

Retiring Early

One of the ways we can try to place boundaries around the early, on-time, and late retirement timeframes is by using Social Security retirement benefits as a guideline.  With that guide in mind, we’re going to define early retirement as retiring before age 62.  For many of us that will mean retiring from work between the ages of 55 and 62.

Pros and Cons of Retiring Early

The biggest benefit of retiring early is that it provides you with more time to pursue hobbies, and enjoy the “fruits of your labor.”  Even at age 55, many of us will have worked hard for 30 or more years.  It’s nice to be able to relax and enjoy ourselves after spending all of that stressful time in the workplace.

Unfortunately there is a big downside of retiring early.  If you go this route, then you need to consider the following:

• Retiring early means having less time to accumulate retirement benefits.  You will need to save more each year to make this a reality.


• Income will have to last longer if you retire early.  For example if you retire at age 55 instead of 65, then you’ll need ten more years of retirement income.


• Pensions and Social Security may not be available right away.  Even if you have a pension plan at work, your employer may restrict or reduce benefits before what they consider “normal” retirement age.  In addition, Social Security benefits will not be available until age 62, and if you start collecting benefits right away, then they will also be reduced.


• Finally, if you retire early, then you’ll need to find, and pay for, health insurance until you qualify for Medicare.

The challenge with retiring early is you need more money in your retirement accounts, and a shorter timeframe to accumulate that money.

Pros and Cons of Retiring “On Time”

We’re going to define “normal” or “traditional” retirement age as those years between age 62 and 67.  In general, these are the years when you will qualify for early or full Social Security benefits.  Most employees also seem to use the age of 62 as a guide for normal retirement age.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of retiring on time is that it allows you plenty of time to enjoy a healthy and fulfilling retirement.  Other benefits of retiring on time include:

• More time to create a substantial retirement fund.  Putting money aside for retirement will be less painful as you watch the power of compounding interest grow your funds.


• Paying for the expense of health care insurance is no longer a concern as you’ll qualify for Medicare right away.


• By retiring in a more traditional timeframe, you’ll usually qualify for un-reduced pension benefits and Social Security.

On the downside, retiring on time means you’ll have less time to pursue a potentially rewarding second career.

Retiring Later in Life

For many of us, remaining in the workplace past age 67 is a choice we will make because we simply enjoy what we do for a living.  We will view maintaining a productive role in our companies and the daily interactions with our co-workers as a benefit that’s hard to resist.

The biggest advantage of retiring late in life is that we have more time to save for retirement, coupled with fewer years over which we need retirement income.  For example, if you decide to retire at age 70 instead of age 65, then you have five more years to save money, and five fewer years that you’re using retirement income.

Other benefits of retiring late include:

• Immediately qualifying for Medicare – although you might want to consider signing up at age 65.


• By retiring late, you’ll also continue to build up your pension plan, and in some cases qualify for higher Social Security benefits.

The down side of retiring later in life is simply that you’ll have fewer retirement years.  You’ll want to take into consideration “quality of life” issues if you decide to go this route.

Get more retirement information at Money-Zine.com!

Real Entrepreneurs Exit If Their Startup Goes Public

Image via Wikipedia

Many entrepreneurs still dream of “going public,” making billions of dollars, and playing with the big boys. They don’t realize that this option would likely be their worst nightmare, since it costs millions for the road show, usually dilutes your equity to a tiny fraction, and takes away all your entrepreneurial control.

Even though the Initial Public Offering (IPO) alternative for a successful startup seems to be coming back into vogue, it is still extremely rare. Only about a dozen U.S. companies made the IPO transition in 2009, out of thousands of startups. Even in most of these cases, the original startup founders were pushed out, or heavily supplemented, with “experienced” executives.

Sure, there are examples of founders who have survived and prospered, such as Bill Gates and Larry Page, but these guys are the exception, not the rule. More importantly, you should never even start down this path unless you can really use a large infusion of $150 million in cash or more, and have $3 million in the bank and up to 18 months to dedicate to the effort.

I recently reviewed a good summary of the advantages and disadvantages of an IPO exit strategy for startups in a widely-used textbook “Entrepreneurship,” by Robert Hisrich, Michael Peters, and Dean Shepherd. Their synopsis of the key risks should make you look hard for an alternate exit strategy:

• Increased risk of liability. With Sarbanes-Oxley, the CEO, CFO, and the Board of Directors are all assumed to have full knowledge of all government standards of compliance and reporting. All are charged with personal responsibility and liability for reporting and public disclosures, backed by huge penalties, fines, and prison terms.

• Higher administrative expenses. Most estimates of the expense for compliance and accounting procedures of a public company are at least double, or maybe quadruple those of a private company. Expensive new IT systems, consultants, and investment bankers are usually required.

• Increasing government regulations. Just to keep track of new regulations and changing compliance requirements, many companies have added a new bureaucratic tier and a chief compliance officer, as well as more expensive lawyers. Annual reporting and audit requirements continue to increase.

• Disclosures of information. With public shareholders and high liability risks, every public company must disclose and answer to shareholders and the press on all material information regarding the company, its operations, and its management.

• Pressures to maintain growth pattern. Opening your company to the public will change the way you do business, from reinvesting returns for the future, to maximizing growth each quarter. The pressures to maintain growth patterns and meet the expectations of the investment community are typically real and intense.

• Loss of control. When shares are sold to the public, the company starts to lose control of decision making, which can even result in the venture being acquired through an unfriendly tender offer. With the more popular Merger & Acquisition (M&A) exit strategy, the control stays with the new entity.

On the other hand, if you are looking for major financing to expand manufacturing capacity, or need major marketing efforts to build your brand, an IPO may be the only way to get you there. Of course, IPO funds can be used to finance a big development effort, but the delay in payback will likely cause a quick stock price decline, which invokes the challenge of continuous growth mentioned above.

In any case, an entrepreneur in one who likes to build new products or services, and works ON their company, while a public business executive works IN the company. Once the new startup is “proven,” most entrepreneurs are happy to exit, before being forced out or burned out, to start again with a new and even bigger vision. Don’t be driven by greed to the wrong alternative.

உபதேசம்

ஒரு ஓவியக் கண்காட்சி. மாடர்ன் ஆர்ட். ஓவியம் வரைஞ்சவர் ஒரு இடத்திலே நின்னு பார்த்துக்கிட்டு இருந்தார். படங்கள் எல்லாம் பார்த்துட்டு , வந்த ஒருத்தர் - அவரை பார்த்து,  "சார் , பிரமாதம் சார்.. அப்படியே தத்ரூபமா வரைஞ்சு இருக்கிறீங்க.. பார்த்ததுமே அப்படியே நாக்குலே தண்ணி ஊறிடுச்சு.. கிரேட் சார்..." னு கைகொடுத்து இருக்கார்.. இவருக்கு ஒண்ணுமே புரியலை..ரொம்ப சந்தோசம் சார்.. எப்படி பீல் பண்ணுறீங்க? விட்டா அப்படியே பிச்சு தின்னுடுவேன்.. ஆம்லெட்டை இப்படி ஒருத்தர் வரைஞ்சு நான் பார்த்ததே இல்லை. நம்ம ஓவியரு , மனுஷன் நொந்து நூலாகிட்டார்.. அவர் வரைஞ்சு இருந்தது, சூரிய உதய காட்சி.. 

 இந்த மாதிரி , வாழ்க்கையை நம்ம கண்ணோட்டத்திலே பார்க்கும்போது - ஒரு ஆங்கிள் லே தெரியுது. ஆனா, அடிப்படை வேற ஒன்னா இருந்து தொலையிது..

கல்யாணம் முடியாம கஷ்டப்படுறவங்களுக்கு , கடவுள் ஏன்தான் இப்படி சோதிக்கிறாரோனு கவலை. முடிஞ்சவங்களுக்கு , ச்சே , கடவுள்  நம்மளை இப்படி சோதிச்சுப்புட்டாரேனு  கவலை.

குடும்ப தலைவன், திறமையா , நல்லா சம்பாதிக்க தெரிஞ்சவனா , ஆரோக்கியமா , குடும்பத்து மேல அக்கறையா இருந்தா - போதும் அவன் தலைவனா இருக்கலாம். இல்லை, டப்பா டான்ஸ் ஆடிடும் வீட்டுல. ஆனா எத்தனை பேரால அப்படி இருக்க முடியுது?

இன்னைக்கு நாம பார்க்கப் போறது , ஆரோக்கியம் பத்தி கொஞ்சம்....

 எழுத்தாளர் இந்திரா சௌந்தர்ராஜன் தனது சமீபத்திய பேட்டி ஒன்றில் சொல்லியிருந்தார். வாழ்க்கையில நீங்க கொஞ்சம் தாமதமாக தெரிஞ்சு கிட்ட விஷயம் எதுன்னு சொல்ல முடியுமா சார்னு கேள்வி. ஆயில் புல்லிங் னு ஒரு

 விஷயம் சார். நல்லெண்ணெய் கொஞ்சம் வாயில் விட்டு , சிறிது நிமிடம் வைச்சு , வாய் கொப்பளிக்கிறது. காலைலேயும், இரவு தூங்கும் முன்பும். அற்புதமான ஒரு அனுபவம் சார். கண்ணுக்கு அவ்வளவு நல்லது. ஒரு மாசம் பண்ணினதுக்கே , அவ்வளவு திருப்தியா இருக்கு. எத்தனையோ வருஷங்களுக்கு முன்னாலே ஆரம்பிச்சு இருந்தா எவ்வளவோ , நல்லா இருந்து இருக்கும்ங்கிறார்.

 இதயம் கம்பெனி, ஜோதிகா படம் போட்டு வருஷக் கணக்கா இதை சொல்லிக் கிட்டு இருக்கு... நாமளும் கொஞ்சம் முயற்சி பண்ணிப் பார்ப்போமா?

 ஆறு மணி நேரம் தூங்குகிறவன் ஆம்பிளை, ஏழு மணி நேரம் தூங்கினா பொம்பளை எட்டு மணி, நேரம் தூங்கினா முட்டாள் என்று சொல்வாங்க, கேள்விப்பட்டு இருக்கீங்களா..?  அதெல்லாம் , நமக்கு கொஞ்சமாவது ரோஷம் வரட்டும் , சீக்கிரம் தூங்கி எழுந்துக்கட்டும்னு நம்ம வீட்ல, எங்க கிராமத்துல சொல்ற விஷயங்கள். எஹே.. ஹே , தூக்கம்ங்கிறது பெரிய வரம். உனக்கு கிடைக்கலைனா, பெருசு,, என்ன ஏன் பாடா படுத்துறேனு நெனைச்சு இருப்போம்..  இல்லையா, மேலே படிங்க...

இன்னைக்கு நாம எல்லாம், பயங்கரமான ஒரு காஸ்மோ பாலிட்டன் கல்ச்சர்ல இருக்கோம். நகரம் / மாநகரம் என்று பெரிய , பெரிய கம்பெனிகளில் வேலை பார்க்கும், மெத்தப் படித்தவர்கள் , கைநிறைய சம்பளம் வாங்குபவர்கள் என்று இருப்பவர்கள் அனைவரும், குடிப்பழக்கம் உள்ளவர்கள் தான். தன் உடல் நலம், குடும்ப நலம் என்று எதிலும் அக்கறை இல்லை. பனிரெண்டு மணிநேரம் , கம்பெனியில் வேலை - வொர்க் ஆல்ககாலிக் என்ற ஒரு போர்வை - வரும் வழியில் அல்லது வீட்டிலேயே என்று ஒரு உற்சாக பானம் அருந்தி , மிதமான ஒரு போதையில் தான் தூங்குகிறார்கள். இது கொஞ்சம் நல்ல நிலையில், சம்பாதிப்பவர்களுக்கு. (வீட்டுல சரக்கு அடிக்க ஆரம்பிச்சுட்டா , அது ஹை கிளாஸ் பேமிலியாம்ல ... ஆமாவா? ) . மனைவி அமைவதெல்லாம் இறைவன் கொடுத்த வரம்னு இதை வைச்சுத்தான் ரொம்ப பேரு சொல்றாங்க..

சம்பளம் கம்மியாக சம்பாதிப்பவர்களுக்கு , அதுவே ஒரு காரணமாகி விடுகிறது. கடன் தொல்லை, கடனை அடைக்க கடன் இப்படி நிறைய காரணங்கள். இளைஞர்களுக்கு, காலேஜ் பசங்களுக்கு இருக்கவே இருக்கு - மச்சி , அவ என்னை ஏமாத்திட்டாடா.. டயலாக்கு. தினமும் இவர்களுக்கு இது பழக்கம் ஆகி விடுகிறது. காலம் எவ்வளவு வேகமாக மாறிவிடுகிறது பாருங்கள்.

 நான் சின்னப் பையனாக இருந்த காலத்தில் எல்லாம் எங்கள் ஊரில் குடிப்பவர்கள் வெறுமனே அஞ்சு / ஆறு பேர்தான். ஏதாவது விசேஷம் , கடா வெட்டுன்னு இருந்தா , ஊரு பெருசுங்க , வாத்தியாரு எல்லாம் - ஒரு குவாட்டர் பாட்டில் வாங்கி, ஒரு ஆறு பேர் சாப்பிடுவாங்க. ஒரு பெக்குக்கு ஆட்டம் போட்ட வாத்தியார், இன்னைக்கு தினம் ஒரு ஹாப் சாப்பிடுறாராம். காலையில் கடை திறக்குறதுக்கு முன்னே, ஏக்கத்தோட ஒரு பத்து பேராவது அங்கே நிக்கிறாங்க. 

இன்னைக்கு ஊரில் பாதிப் பேரு தினமும் குடிக்கிறவங்க தான். எதுக்கு குடிக்கிறோம்னு இப்போ இவங்களுக்கு காரணம் கூட தெரியாது. இதுல மாப்ள , நான் ரொம்ப ஸ்டெடி னு  சொல்லிக்கிட்டு வண்டி ஓட்டுறாங்க.

 என் கிளாஸ்மேட் பொண்ணு ஒருத்தி , கலயாணமான மூன்றே வருஷத்தில் கைம்பெண் ஆகிவிட்டார். நல்லா வசதியான வீட்டில் தான் கட்டிக் கொடுத்தார்கள். சென்னையில் சிவில் இன்ஜினியரிங் முடித்த மாப்பிள்ளை . சந்தோஷ மிகுதியில் ஒரு இரவு வேளை - பைக்கில் ரோட்டுக்குப் பதில் , ரோடு டிவைடர் மேல் பயணிக்க , ஸ்பாட்டிலேயே மரணம். இருபத்தி இரண்டு வயதில் இன்பமயமாக தொடங்கிய தாம்பத்யம், ஒரே நாள் சூறாவளியில் சின்னா பின்னமாகி விட்டது. ஒரு வயது கைக்குழந்தை. அது என்ன பாவம் செய்தது?  இவர்கள் இருவரின் எதிர் காலத்திற்கு யார் பதில் சொல்ல ? குடி குடியைக் கெடுக்கும் என்று சொன்னவன் மடையன்தான் , அது உங்கள் சொந்த வாழ்வில் பாதிப்பு ஏற்படுத்தும்வரை. இதே மாதிரி நிதானம் இழந்து , நம் வாழ்வில் எத்தனை முடிவுகள்... இன்னும் இது தொடரணுமா?

விதி என்று சொன்னாலும், மரணம் யாருக்கும் எந்த நொடியிலும் ஏற்படும் என்றாலும்,  கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக தற்கொலை பண்ணிக் கொள்ளும் இது போன்ற பழக்கங்களுக்கு மெத்தப் படித்த மேதாவிகளும் பலிகடா ஆவதுதான் கொடுமை.

அது போக , எல்லா தமிழ் படத்துலேயும்,   இப்போ ஹீரோ - தண்ணி யடிக்காம இருக்கிறதே இல்லை. குழந்தைகளுக்கு அந்த காட்சிகள் எல்லாம் , ஒரு சர்வ சாதாரண விஷயமாகிவிட்டது. அவங்க தலைமுறையிலே இன்னும் எப்படி இருக்குமோ.. தெரியாது .

கண் கெட்ட பிறகு சூரிய நமஸ்காரம் செய்வதுதான் நமக்கு கைவந்த கலையாயிற்றே.

 எட்டு மணி நேரம் தூங்குகிறவன் எப்படி முட்டாளாவான் என்று அடிக்கடி யோசிப்பேன்.எட்டு மணி நேரத் தூக்கம் என்பது சராசரி வாழும் வயது (70) பிரகாரம் இருபத்தி மூன்று வருஷம். வாழ்க்கையில் இருபத்தி மூன்று வருஷங்களை தூங்கி கழித்தால் எத்தனையோ வாய்ப்புகளை நழுவ விட்டு விடுவோம் என்கிற அர்த்தத்தில் இருக்கலாம். குடிக்கிறவங்களுக்கு இன்னும் ஒரு பத்து வருஷம் அதிகமாகும்.

ஆனால் தூக்கத்தை விஞ்ஞான கண் கொண்டு பார்த்தால் வேறு விதமான அர்த்தங்களைச் சொல்லலாம். தூங்குகிறவர்கள் எப்படி சுவாசிக்கிறார்கள் என்று கவனித்திருக்கிறீர்களா?

நீண்ட உள்ளிழுப்பு, சிறிது இடைவெளி, அப்புறம் நீண்ட வெளிவிடுதல். ஒவ்வொரு சைக்கிளும் இருபத்தைந்து செகண்டாவது எடுக்கும். இப்படிப்பட்ட சுவாசம் என்ன நன்மையைத் தருகிறது? காற்றில் இருக்கும் பிராண வாயுவை முழுசாக உடம்பு எடுத்துக் கொள்கிறது. மூளையின் செல்கள் ரீஜெனரெட் ஆக இந்த பிராணவாயு உதவுகிறது.இது மாதிரித் தூக்கம் நாலு மணி நேரம் தூங்கினால் போதும்.

ஆனால் ஏன் எட்டு மணி நேரம் தூங்கினாலும் அலாரத்தை அமர்த்திவிட்டு  புரண்டு படுத்து தூங்குகிறோம்?

இரண்டு காரணங்கள்.

ஒன்று, பகலை விட இரவு நேரங்களில் பிராணவாயு குறைவாக இருக்கிறது. ஏனென்றால் தாவரங்கள் இரவில் பிராண வாயுவை உள்ளிழுத்து கரியமில வாயுவை அதிக அளவில் வெளியிடுகின்றன.

இரண்டாவது, நமது தேசிய பறவை கொசுவுக்கு பயந்து எல்லா ஜன்னல்களையும் இறுக்கமாக மூடி விட்டுத் தூங்குகிறோம். அறையில் இருக்கிற பிராண வாயு இரண்டு மணி நேரத்தில் காலியாகி அதற்கப்புறம் கரியமில வாயுவைத்தான் சுவாசிக்கிறோம்.

விடிகாலை நேரத்தில் ஓசோன் அதிகமாக இருப்பதால் ராத்திரி கிடைக்காத பிராணவாயு விடிகாலையில் அதிகமாகக் கிடைக்கிறது. அதனால் சுகமாகத் தூக்கம் வருகிறது.  விடிகாலை எழுந்து , வேர்க்க விறுவிறுக்க உடற் பயிற்சி செய்பவர்கள் , நமக்கு மட்டும் தெரிவதே இல்லை ..

சரி, அப்படியானால் எல்லாரும் எட்டுமணி நேரம் தூங்கத்தான் வேண்டுமா?

அவசியமில்லை.

தூக்கத்தில் சுவாசிக்கிற அதே ரிதம் பிராணாயாமத்தில் உண்டு.

பிராணாயாமம் கற்றுக் கொண்ட புதிதில் ஆழமில்லாத தூக்கமும், ரொம்ப அதிகாலை எழுந்து விடுகிற பழக்கமும் வரும். ஆனாலும் நாள் முழுக்க புத்துணர்ச்சியோடு இருக்க முடியும்.

பிராணாயாமத்தின் சிறப்பை எடுத்துச் சொல்கிற போதெல்லாம்,

 “அதெல்லாம் மூட நம்பிக்கைங்க” என்று அதையும் மூட நம்பிக்கையில் சேர்த்து விடுகிற நபர்கள் இருக்கிறார்கள். ஒருவேளை, நமது இணைய தளத்தில் இதைப் பற்றி எழுதுவதால், ஆமான்னு அடிச்சு சொல்லிடுவாங்களோ..?

இந்தக் கட்டுரையை படிச்சுட்டு , யாராவது ஒருத்தர் தன்னோட லைப் ஸ்டைல் ஐ மாத்திக்கிட்டாக் கூட , ஒரு கட்டுரை ஆசிரியரா எனக்கு பரம திருப்தி கிடைக்கும். செய்ய முடியுமா? கொஞ்சம் சொல்லுங்களேன்...