Some gifts I got

This thanks giving day reminds me of the gifts I got from my friends.

This perfume bottle below was gifted by one of my work colleague Keshyap Thawani on my last working day.

While studying Masters in Tata Institute of Social Sciences I got 2 cups.

Another cup that I got while studying Masters it states, TISS MA Counselling, batch of 2013

This bowl I had got while studying Masters

Some useful & valuable gift - pens were given by some of my class mates. The Pierre Cardin was given by (cousin/friend) & Parker was gifted by my class mate & a very good friend Lalrampuia Ranthlei.

 

 

A friend had gifted me a lot of things while I was studying with her & even after completing studies below are some of her gifts

A friend Rahul Vishwakarm from Singapore had sent me a box of Kagi mini Rum Premium Swiss Chocolate Wafer & Xiaomi portable charger 10400 mAh on this years Deepavali.

Definition of spirituality by Bhagwan Shri Sathya Sai

People imagine that spirituality means meditating on God, bathing in sacred waters & visiting holy shrines, but this is not the correct meaning of spirituality. Spirituality means destroying the animal nature in man & awakening him to his divine consciousness. Spirituality implies recognizing that one’s manifold capacities emanate from the Spirit & not from the mind, then utilizing them for achieving spiritual strength. It means acknowledging that all powers come from the Divine.

A significant learning learnt in Gurudwara

2 weeks ago on 6^th of November I commemorated Guru Nanak Jayanti. Shri Guru Nanak Saheb was a significant man. 1 of his quotes that had a big impact on me was “Speak only that which will bring you honour.” I’ve followed this principle since my childhood days. I never think or use blasphemous or cuss words against anyone, even when they hurt me. I’ve noticed that since a decade many people don’t mind using profane words, they use it even in front of women & small children. This makes them follow the same habit at their work premises. I’ve encountered many small children using bad words against their seniors & elders. I’ve even encountered men & women belonging to educated & affluent families, living in high class society using disturbing, offensive & provocative words which one can easily avoid. Movies that refrained from using foul language now prefer to use it. Their rationale is that it’s used by the society & they only show that happens in the society, however such scenes can influence many young minds. Many don’t hesitate using blasphemous language as they see an established or senior actor or an actress using it & think that there’s nothing wrong in it. Some feel that abusing is a way to decrease frustrations & it cools down their mind.

Many families call me at their residence to give motivational lectures. There are many psychologists more experienced than me however they prefer me. Its main reason is the simple language I speak & noble words I use that I’ve learnt from many people like Sri Sri Ravi Shankarjee, Sant Rajinder Singhjee Maharaj, Satya Narayan Goenkajee, etc.

Life gives us many challenges, impediments, setbacks, etc. During that time when one refrains from using foul language then it triggers his/her brain to use other words or good words or meaningful words.  For example if one wants a have a candy however for some reasons he/she doesn’t get it then he/she automatically thinks of some other option to have & may think to have a chocolate.

Seva or giving service is extremely significant amongst people following Sikhism. Guru Nanak Jayanti reminded me of a good incident of which I was a part of & it taught me a good lesson of life. I was a in my teens that time & had attended Gurudwara. The Gurudwara had a big shoe & slipper rack. There were many children of my age & we were asked to clean (dust) shoes & slippers of everybody. I felt very enthusiastic to do this & I cleaned many shoes & slippers. The rationale of this activity was to inculcate the significance of Seva or free service in children’s mind.

As a child while going to play I was supposed to reach home at a particular time as punctuality was significant at home. At times I used to play more than the number of hours my parents used to allow. This used to make them angry & they used to lock me in a balcony. However I never used to feel low or upset being locked. In the balcony I used to clean & polish all the shoes. This used to keep my mind occupied with something positive. The learning of Gurudwara used to help me channelize my negative emotions.

Later while doing my Graduation & Masters in Psychology I learnt about a Sigmund Frued’s defence mechanisms. 1 of the defence mechanisms was ‘sublimation’ & it’s considered as a matured defence mechanism. Sublimation in Psychology means someone taking their inappropriate or negative thoughts or feelings & channelling it in a way that’s more socially acceptable or transforming unwanted impulses into something that’s meaningful i.e. doing something valuable or doing something that’s less harmful.

N.B. The activity conducted in Gurudwara was completely on a voluntarily basis & wasn’t forced, hence it shouldn’t be misunderstood as child labour. Such activities are often conducted so that a person understands humility, remains humble & considers everyone a part of his family.

Reference: -

Sigmund Freud, ‘Civilisation and Its Discontents’ (1930) in The Standard Edition Of The Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud – The Future of an Illusion, Civilization and its Discontents, and Other Works, trans. by James Strachey (Hogarth Press; London, 1961), vol. XXI, 79–80.

Consumerism and Materialism erodes Happiness

Psychologist Miriam Tatzel, PhD, of Empire State College, had presented an overview of consumer behaviour & happiness at The American Psychological Association's 122^nd annual conference.

She explored & explained consumerism, happiness & environmental impact of our consuming decisions.

Dr. Tatzel explains that humans remain preoccupied with getting & spending due to their insatiable wants. Humans also believe that economic & social prosperity depends on growth in consumer spending. However insatiable consumerism is draining our planet. Some problems that the world is experiencing are degradation of natural resources, global warming, pollution, exploitation of cheap labour world-wide.

Dr. Tatzel states that "Cooling the consumption-driven economy, working less & consuming less are better for the environment & better for humans, too,"

An acronym “CAMPER” stands for research-proven factors that contribute to happiness: Competence, Autonomy, Meaning, Pleasure, Engagement & Relationships. In my personal humble opinion relationship have utmost significance. Relationship with self, i.e. self-acceptance, healthy relationship with others can be blissful, peaceful & meaningful.

Dr. Tatzel has used Richins & Dawson’s work on human’s belief. As per that acquisition has become a goal of humans. Humans believe that possession brings happiness & humans also believe that self worth depends on material success. 

She states that humans are running on a “hedonic treadmill”. It infers that humans aren’t valuing whatever they have, no matter how nice it is & are striving for more. However getting more doesn’t sustain happiness level.

Dr. Tatzel also states that “People's wants escalate as they tire of what they have & they want something else, which in turn leads to more consumption & more waste in landfills, more energy consumed & more carbon emitted into the atmosphere," She added "The larger the gap between what one wants & what one has, the greater the dissatisfaction. Less materialism equals more happiness,"

She has figured out that person doesn’t get happiness while buying things however gets happiness by spending on experiences.

Dr. Tatzel has also mentioned that “Happiness isn't just about the numbers — it's about our personalities, too. People who cultivate their talents & relationships to find satisfaction may be less likely to rely on things & purchases to make them happy. Trying to keep up with the Joneses only leads to misery.” Thus one should focus on cultivating talents rather than making more money & focus on cultivating relationships more than admiration. She even adds that one shouldn’t care that much what others think of their possession. She speculates that this behaviour can be better for the environment as it will reduce consumption & materialism.

Her study also sheds light on frugal attitude or behaviour & how it’s nice for the environment (Frugal means conserving resources as well as money). She states that frugal people are more satisfied with life, generally. They even don’t suffer from debt related problems.

Her study infers that people are more likely to be happy by cultivating personal talents & relationships rather than money & fame.

Dr. Tatzel advises that to increase your likelihood of being happy (with a side of environmental benefits), you'll want to steer clear of materialism, value your experiences over your purchases, & take your satisfaction from yourself rather than others. She states Less is more.

Below are her advises

-          - Don’t be materialistic

-          - Be thrifty

-          - Focus more on doing than having

      . Change activities rather than material circumstances

      . Spend on experiences over possession

-          - Don’t care overly about money

-          - Live in a society with low income inequality

-          - Be intrinsically motivated

-          - Be independent

Thus her work indicates that happiness is inversely proportional to consumerism & materialism is eroding happiness. It also infers that consuming less won’t just have a positive impact on our mind but also our surroundings & environment, thus environmental wellbeing is also good for wellbeing of humans.

People that live a simple life, that love nature are often inferred as dull; however people with simple & their anything but exciting interests have a certain contemplative almost therapeutic appeal. On a television show Euromaxx aired on 15^th November 2014 on DW channel, Psychologist Mark Coulson stated that “there are some research findings that suggest that if you have a limited set of interests, if you limit what it is that concerns you then this simple life is actually a happy life. That’s in today’s society we are just present with too many choices, there are too many options, as a result sometimes stepping outside of that frame, I’m going to be concerned about what I find passionate, this maybe very direct route to happiness.”

Reflections: -

Dr. Tatzel’s study infers that less the have-want gap greater can be happiness & satisfaction & this attitude is not just good for humans but also for our environment. Thus lesser materialism equals more happiness.

According to her study, humans like to consume or are obsessed with materialism, this makes them work hard or work overtime. People who work hard or overtime may get recognition & even get promoted & eventually earn more money. Earning more money acts as a reward to the brain & gives a sense of security. However it also has some negative effects. Time spent to have a big bank balance, recognition, rewards & sense of security takes away a lot of time from more personally fulfilling activities like recreational activities, hobbies, interpersonal relationships, spending time with family members, socialising with friends & extended family members etc. Some unlucky people obsessed with consumerism & materialism even start suffering from poor health, for example they gain weight, look old, stressed, start suffering from diabetes or blood pressure at a young age, etc. Thus people with obsessed with materialism & security remain unhappy most of the time.

References: -

1. American Psychological Association (APA). "Happier consumers can lead to healthier environment, research reveals." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140809141434.htm (accessed November 18, 2014).

2. Coulson, Mark. Euromaxx. Studio 4A. November 15, 2014. http://www.dw.de/program/euromaxx/s-7555-9798 (accessed November 17, 2014).

3. IANS. Want to be happy? Cut down on consumption. August 12, 2014. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/spending-money-unhappy-possessions-consuming-less/1/376680.html (accessed November 19, 2014).

4. Kane, Libby. This Psychologist's Impressive Presentation Shows How Materialism Is Eroding Our Happiness. August 20, 2014. http://www.businessinsider.com/materialism-eroding-happiness-2014-8?op=1 (accessed November 19, 2014).

5. Richard M. Ryan, Edward L. Deci. "Facilitating Optimal Motivation and Psychological Well-Being Accross Life's Domains." Canadian Psychology, 2008: 49, 14-23.

6. Richins, Marsha L. "The Material Values Scale: Measurement Properties and Development of a Short Form." Journal of Consumer Research (The University of Chicago Press) Vol. 31, no. 1 (June 2004): 209-219.

7. Richins, Marsha L. and Scott Dawson (1992), “A Consumer Values Orientation for Materialism and Its Measurement: Scale Development and Validation,” Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (December), 303–16.

8. Ryff, Carol D. "Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol. 57(6) (December 1989): 1069-1081.

9. Stephen M. Schueller, Martin E.P. Seligman. "Pursuit of pleasure, engagement, and meaning: Relationships to subjective and objective measures of well-being." The Journal of Positive Psychology (Routledge) Vol. 5 (July 2010): 253–263.

Brain or Liver

I see people overeat many times. They don’t feel any problem while overeating however one can’t escape its repercussions. People who suffer from jaundice or stones are often asked by doctors to have light meals & avoid non-vegetarian food. Jaundice is a disorder that affects the liver & as the liver doesn’t function at its optimum level heavy foods like fatty foods, fried foods, oily foods; non-vegetarian foods are generally recommended to be avoided. While studying in school I used to go for Marathi tuitions. My Marathi tuition teacher’s cousin was suffering from Jaundice that time. During his recovery phase he used to follow a proper diet that was recommended to him. One day while he was recovering he saw some of his friends relishing chicken. As he hadn’t eaten non-vegetarian food since many days, he wasn’t able to resist & joined his friends to relish chicken. Although he suffered later, he survived.

An acquaintance was suffering due to uric acid stones, thus his doctor recommended him to avoid non-vegetarian food. Non-vegetarian foods like meat, fish, etc increases uric acid & uric acid concentration can settle & form stone. For around a week he refrained from eating non-vegetarian food & then he ate & it caused him some health complications.

Reflections: -

Brain feels happy & it releases happy hormones when one eats his/her food of choice; however the liver has to overwork. The liver doesn’t send signals instantly that it has to overwork or it may suffer, also the brain remains too occupied with the food’s taste which makes it ignore the liver’s heed. In my opinion one should eat slowly & patiently. Life is long & one can live healthily if he/she practices eating properly & follows a balanced diet & eats in moderation. A balanced diet & eating in moderation satisfies the brain & doesn’t overwork the liver. Some doctors suggest that stomach shouldn’t become full with food & some part of it should be left empty for air & water to be filled later. This helps in smooth digestion & nutrients get absorbed properly. Our body is like a vehicle if one overuses his/her vehicle a lot then its performance decreases soon & it required maintenance (humans require medicines); however if one uses his vehicle appropriately then it functions smoothly for a long time & doesn’t require much maintenance.

Pioglitazone a controversial drug

Pioglitazone is an oral drug prescribed to patients who suffer from type 2 diabetes mellitus. It reduces the volume of sugar level in blood. Insulin is a hormone that stimulates cells to remove glucose from the blood. People suffering from type 2 diabetes cannot make enough insulin due to which level of blood glucose remains more than normal & the body’s cells respond less to the insulin that gets produced in the body. Pioglitazone acts as an insulin sensitizer & enables cells to become more sensitive to insulin. This helps in discarding more volume of glucose from blood & this drug also lowers the glucose level in blood.

It’s believed that people who consume this drug have increased risk of heart failure, blood cancer & osteoporosis. India had suspended this drug on 18^th June 2013; however this suspension was only temporarily & soon revoked on 31^st July 2013.

Ambrish Mithal, an expert & head of the endocrinology & diabetes department at the Medanta hospital in Gurgaon had said ‘It's grossly overused in this country.’ Chandra Gulhati, editor of MIMS India, states ‘The sales data show that fixed-dose combinations of pioglitazone with other antidiabetics are top-selling in the country. That indicates the drug is being overused & is being used as first-line treatment,’

Annual sales of fixed-dose combinations of pioglitazone with metformin & glimepiride are around INR5 billion. An article published in Times of India by Rupali Mukherjee dated  Jun 27, 2013, 05.16AM IST shares that pioglitazone & its combinational drugs have Rs. 700 crore market in India.

France has already put a stop for selling this drug.

Currently this drug is sole with warnings that the drug cannot be used as a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Reflections: -

In my opinion Indian Government just wants the health industry that includes hospitals, pharmaceutical industry to boom. Pioglitazone in combination with other anti-glucose drugs has a very big market around Rs. 700 crores that’s why the suspension was revoked. It may sound pessimistic however I don’t hesitate to state that the Government just wants diabetic patients to suffer more from bladder cancer, heart failure & osteoporosis. If people will suffer due to these diseases then they’ll consume more medicines for bladder cancer or heart problems or osteoporosis. This will help the pharmaceutical industry to sell more drugs & eventually boom. If pharmaceutical industry will boom then Government will get more value added tax which it collects from medicines. This will also help people to visit hospitals more times & will help the hospitals to grow. Most of the hospitals are owned by business corporations & thus their business will grow & thus government will eventually make more money from taxes. Many people may die due to bladder cancer & heart failure & that will improve the death rate.

As a Pharmacist I’ve found that most of the diabetic patients consume piaglitazone drug in combination with other drugs. In India due to illiteracy & unawareness most of the people don’t do any survey, search & research about the medicines that they consume. Majority of Indians understand medicine by its brand name & its ingredients or composition remains unknown to them as they never read it. In India onetime doctor consultancy fee is high & due to that patients just get the medicines prescribed from doctors once & keep consuming those medicines without further follow up. In this way doctors don’t get proper feedback from their patients & they continue to prescribe the same medicines.

Many times Pharmacist isn’t the person that dispenses the prescribed medicines. Most of the time medicines get dispensed by normal people who work under pharmacists & these people have little awareness about the toxic effects of this drug & hence they don’t discuss it with the consumers.

Diabetes can’t be treated however it can be controlled & for controlling it one has to consume medicines regularly. Indians have awareness about Homeopathic & Unani medicines. India’s Ayurvedic medicine formulation is also very rich. In case medicines have to be taken throughout life then one should rely on alternative medicines like Ayurveda or Homeopathy or Unani. These formulations have very mild side effects. One should also follow a healthy life style that includes eating a healthy diet, doing yoga daily, exercising regularly, meditating regularly & taking proper rest & sleep.

References: -

1. Mukherjee, Rupali. Govt bans popular diabetes drug and analgin. June 27, 2013. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-bans-popular-diabetes-drug-and-analgin/articleshow/20789831.cms (accessed November 14, 2014).

2. Omudhome Ogbru (PharmD). pioglitazone, Actos. http://www.medicinenet.com/pioglitazone/article.htm (accessed November 14, 2014).

3. Sachan, Dinsa. Indian U-turn on diabetes drug ban. August 16, 2013. http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/08/india-u-turn-diabetes-pioglitazone-drug-ban (accessed November 14, 2014).