Dr Rajiv Desai
An Educational Blog
Smartphone Overuse
Smartphone Overuse: _ Average person spends 3 to 4 hours on their smartphone each day. ______ ______ Section-1 Prologue: If there’s anything that most deserves the claim to be a man’s best friend in the modern age, it has got to be the smartphone. The use of smartphones is now a necessity, not a choice. The technological innovation of smartphones and various software has made our lives more convenient. While the bounties of technological innovation have offered limitless opportunities to make life comfortable, their perils cannot be ignored. Worldwide, there are over 6 billion people that have smartphone data plans and it is projected that this will grow to over 7.5 billion by 2026. According to a recent study, almost half of the American population showed hyper-reliance on smartphones, and more than 90% of young people aged 19–29 reported daily use of smartphones. Smartphone devices have the same capabilities […]
Over-The-Counter (OTC) Drugs
Over-The-Counter (OTC) Drugs: _ The term OTC does not mean that the drugs are literally sold over a counter. Oftentimes, they can simply be taken off a shelf, and paid for with your other shopping. _ Section-1 Prologue: The Italian adventurer Casanova (1725–1798) is often quoted as saying: “In wise hands, poison is medicine. In foolish hands, medicine is a poison.” Such is the case with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs—those medicines found on shelves in drugstores, convenience stores, and supermarkets. Buying of OTC medicines is the self-medication practice. From the very ancient period, people used different types of herbs for the treatment of their health problems. Once a common practice across centuries of human history, self-diagnosis and self-treatment are making a comeback. OTC medicines are the most common choice for self-treatment, with almost everyone having some experience in using or purchasing such medicines. Patients often approach pharmacy or grocery store […]
DRUG ADDICTION
Drug Addiction: _ Intravenous injection of heroin typically causes a rush within seven to eight seconds. This method of drug use provides the highest intensity and quickest onset of the initial rush but is also the most dangerous. Also, approximately 10% of new HIV infections worldwide are attributable to injecting drug use, often of an opiate such as heroin. ______ Prologue: Drugs are fascinating because they change our awareness. The basic reason people take drugs is to vary their conscious experience. Seeking pleasure is a human trait and certain chemicals which give a feeling of high or pleasure have always been used by some people everywhere. Of course, there are many ways to alter consciousness, such as listening to music, dancing, exercising, day dreaming and participating in religious rituals etc. and the list suggests that changing consciousness is something people like to do. People use substances (drugs) to alter their […]
SMARTPHONE
SMARTPHONE: _______ The figure above shows transition of telephone from landline phone to smartphone. _______ Prologue: Alexander Graham Bell’s invention has come a long way since its prototype in 1876. The latest model of telephone requires no external wiring, fits in your pocket, takes dictation, and answers any question in seconds. For most of us, our compulsion to look at that little screen is so powerful that we can’t go for any more than a few minutes without checking it. Smartphones have gained so much significance in our lives that choosing one is a little like choosing a religion. Our preference for either an iPhone or an Android model seems to suggest something fundamental about who we are. Smartphone is a combination phone having computer, web browser, camera, GPS etc and therefore, if you lose your smartphone, you lose everything. There are three screens of the ‘Digital Lifestyle’ in the […]
ALCOHOL (beverage based on ethanol)
______ ALCOHOL (beverage based on ethanol): ______ President Obama loves Irish beer and celebrates the St.Patrick’s Day only with it! ________ Prologue: Abraham Lincoln said: “It has long been recognized that the problems with alcohol relate not to the use of a bad thing, but to the abuse of a good thing.” We find alcohol throughout our daily lives. Alcoholic beverages have been consumed by humans since prehistoric times for a variety of hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons. We associate the consumption of alcohol with the most pleasurable aspects of our culture. Parties and sports, picnics and vacations, summer and winter are all influenced by the attraction of alcoholic beverages. World Cup 2014: festival of football or alcohol? Whichever country hoists aloft the World Cup trophy, the real winner will be the alcohol industry according to BMJ report. I had written article on ‘Alcohol’ on February […]
