Health, Mind, Beauty and Relations

While it’s a known fact that a healthy diet and exercise are important to maintain good health, a latest study has shown just how much they actually benefit the brain, and even possibly reverse effects of ageing. In a study, researchers led by James Blumenthal, a professor in psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center, found that even among a group of older people who already show signs of thinking problems, exercising regularly over six months and eating more healthy can improve performance on cognitive tests.

The 160 people began the study showing thinking skills that were similar to people in their 90s — 28 years older, on average, than they actually were. The volunteers were divided into four groups. One group participated in an aerobic exercise program, another was assigned a low-sodium diet, a third was asked to exercise and change their diet at the same time, and a fourth control group was provided educational sessions about how to improve their brain health.


The group that exercised and changed its diet at the same time showed the greatest improvements in cognitive tests after six months. They improved their test scores by nine years, to resemble those of people 84 years old. The control group showed a continued decline in their brain test scores, and the researchers did not see a significant benefit from either exercise or change in diet alone. “The bottom line is that it’s not too late to derive benefits from exercise,” says Blumenthal.

The fact that the group following both the exercise and diet programs showed the greatest benefit suggests that the two interventions may work together to improve brain health, Blumenthal says. “We saw evidence that exercise and the diet together are better than nothing,” he says. “We showed you can get improvements in function that can reduce and certainly improve neurocognitive function, and possibly even postpone development of dementia late in life.”

Filmmaker Aditya Dhar ,director of the upcoming film URI: The Surgical Strike, which is based on the Indian Army’s surgical strikes against Pakistan, feels that stories of the country’s soldiers deserve to be told on the big screen. Talking about how he ended up making a film on India’s secret military operation from 2016, he says, “I was doing a film with Karan Johar called Raat Baki, which had Fawad Khan and Katrina Kaif as the leads. The moment we were supposed to go on floors, the Uri attacks happened and Pakistani actors were then, not allowed to work in Hindi films. Since Fawad couldn’t come back to India, the film went into a limbo. Soon after, my attention was drawn towards the surgical strikes by the Indian Army. I am a Kashmiri pandit and I have been hearing about terrorism since childhood. We have been directly and indirectly affected by it, too. I always had interest in the military as I wanted to join the army. When I started researching, I realised that it’s one of the most incredible, covert and well-planned military operations to have been carried out in India. The Indian Army does so much for our country and making a film for them is the least we can do as filmmakers. They deserve love and respect from each and every citizen of India, for the sacrifices they make for us.”

Ask him if there was enough material for him to base his screenplay and how he managed to put the story together and he adds, “There was lot of reference material already available in the public domain, but I had to do a lot of research, too. I spoke to several retired army personnel and we were able to construct the story based on all that. Once the first draft was ready we shared it with the PR wing of the Indian Army and they gave us valuable feedback and their point of view. Within four months of the surgical strike, I was ready with the script of the film.”


The film features Vicky Kaushal as the lead and talking about the actor’s dedication filmmaker Aditya says, “Being a first-time director, I wasn’t sure if an established actor would be keen on working with me and I also needed an actor who could completely dedicate himself to the film. He had to train for five to six months. There was military training, the actor had to gain weight for the role and also look like an army Major, who could supervise a team of 80 people. Vicky at that time was shooting for Raazi and Sanju hadn’t released, either. I was keen on casting him, because he has incredible potential. He is hungry to prove himself and the way he has pushed himself during the preparation for this role has been incredible.”

It’s been a busy year for Daisy Shah and the actress is glad that her career is on fast track. Earlier this year, she was a part of the ensemble cast in Race

3. The film garnered massive attention from the fans and Daisy’s dialogue from the movie, ‘My business is my business, none of your business’ went viral on social media, too. Just after that, she also took part in the Da-bangg tour in the US and Canada. She performed with Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sonakshi Sinha and Jacqueline Fernandez on an international stage. Ever since, Daisy has been busy travelling around for work commitments and she’s going to have a working New Year, too.


A trained dancer, she will be seen performing in Chicago for an event on New Year’s Eve. She will be grooving to her hit tracks from Jai Ho and Race 3 for this event and the promos have already created a lot of buzz on social media. The young actress is also currently preparing for next project, which she will announce soon.

If you’ve ever been cheated on by your partner, then you know the hurt and trauma the experience can leave you with. It’s very difficult to fathom the person’s very existence in your life and it’s even more difficult to forgive them and move on from the incident. While nothing can justify the act of infidelity, there are times you wish you could truly reverse things around.

Some people often wish to genuinely forgive their cheating partners and carry on a life with them, but they don’t know how to completely let go. The incident crops up like a bad Monday and stays till the day is over. If you truly want to forgive your partner and take them back into your life, it’s possible. But you have to show resilience, patience and faith in order to completely let go and begin a new chapter with them. These five steps can help you...


1 ASK YOURSELF IMPERATIVE QUESTIONS

The most important way to rationalise the situation is to ask pertinent questions to yourself. The first and foremost question is, whether or not they’re worth forgiving. If you think the answer to that is yes, then start asking other important questions. Some questions you can ask are:

Have they cheated in the past?

If they have cheated in the past, then you know it’s a recurring pattern in their behaviour and they need a strong reminder that they can’t get away scot-free each time.

Why did they cheat?

Sometimes, honest mistakes do happen. You know your partner the best. If you think they genuinely made a mistake, then try looking at the situation from their side. Put yourself in their shoes and figure things out.

Can you trust them again?

If you instinctively believe they will not slip or falter in future, then carry on analysing the situation deeper. The most important thing one loses out on is trust and it’s tough to regain it.

Was your relationship going through a bad stretch?

When your partner cheated on you, was your relationship going through a downer? Sometimes, when relationships go through a bad patch, people look for distractions in order to validate their own existence. If that’s the case, maybe work on the relationship simultaneously.

Are they sorry and regretful?

They should be apologetic and regretful about the situation. If they aren’t, well, then you know how they feel about it. Maybe, an apology doesn’t fix everything, but it’s assuring to know that the person who hurt you, is also hurting themselves.

2 GIVE EACH OTHER SPACE

It’s very important to give yourself space and time to completely recover from the incident. It’s also important to not have them around constantly because of the disappointment you still hold towards what they did. If you’re living in with your partner, ask them to move out for a few days or you move out in order to give yourself the space and time that you truly deserve. This also means cutting off from each other temporarily and ceasing communication in order to get a healthy break and think things over.

3 START FROM SCRATCH

Now that you’ve achieved closure on what you went through, it’s time to start fresh. There is no point going back and forth on what’s happened. You have to let go of the past, without bringing it up in the future again. You have to be willing to start the relationship with a clean slate.

4 HAVE THE FINAL CONVERSATION

After giving each other significant time away, meet up for one final conversation. It’s okay to ask your partner all sorts of questions and details about everything you need to know to salvage the relationship. If your partner’s willingness to answer these questions is dim, then it’s not worth the effort. If you have no questions, but some conditions to put down in order to prevent this from happening again, feel free to do that, too.

5 TRUST AND CHANGE

There are two things you need to build when you give someone another chance. The first is trust. If you can learn to trust the person again, you’ve won half the battle. If you think you cannot trust them again in the future, then you have to let go. The other thing is change. There is a possibility that you partner cheated because there something was lacking in your relationship. Try and change things around. No, not for them, but for yourself.

A tilt of the head leads people to look more at the eyes, making them more approachable and less threatening, a study suggests.


Every time we look at a face, we take in a flood of information effortlessly: age, gender, race, expression, the direction of our subject’s gaze, and even their mood.

Faces draw us in and help us navigate relationships and the world around us, according to the study published in the journal ‘Perception’.

“Looking at the eyes allows you to gather much more information. It’s a real advantage,” said Nicolas Davidenko, an assistant professor at the University of California.

By contrast, the inability to make eye contact has causal effects. “It impairs your facial processing abilities and puts you at a real social disadvantage,” Davidenko said.

People who are reluctant to make eye contact may also be misperceived as disinterested, distracted, or aloof.

Scientists have known for decades that when we look at a face, we tend to focus on the left side of the face we are viewing. Called the “left-gaze bias”, this phenomenon is thought to be rooted in the brain, the right hemisphere of which dominates the face-processing task.

Much less is known about the middle ground, how we take in faces that are rotated or slightly tilted. “We take in faces holistically, all at once — not feature by feature. But no one had studied where we look on rotated faces,” said Davidenko.

He used eye-tracking technology to get the answers. The left-gaze bias completely vanished and an “upper eye bias” emerged, even with a tilt as minor as 11degrees off centre.

“A slight tilt kills the leftgaze bias that has been known for so long,” said Davidenko.

For people with autism, Davidenko found the tilt leads people to look more at the eyes, perhaps because it makes them more approachable. “Across species, direct eye contact can be threatening. When the head is tilted, we look at the upper eye more than either or both eyes when the head is upright. This could be used therapeutically,” Davidenko said.

WHY BUY/ADOPT A DOG?

Having a pet is a joyous experience. S/he will give you companionship, love, affection, and the incentive to exercise regularly. Your pet will also tightly bond the family together. But being a pet parent has its share of responsibilities that you have to commit to... Do you have the time and resources to give your pet a happy and healthy life? Are you prepared to scoop poop? Are you ready to take her/him for a daily walk – be it scorching heat, lashing rains or cold? Are you aware of the long-term costs of dog food, vet care, and kennels?


PEDIGREE, MIXED BREED?

The choice is yours – Pedigree ensures a safe source as to not encourage puppy mills. If you can adopt from an organisation or street, it’s a great way to give an animal a home.

COAT TYPE TO CONSIDER

Coat type is a critical consideration when choosing a dog. Some breed coats require daily grooming. Make sure you understand all about the coat length and grooming needs of your chosen breed before you bring your pet home.

GET TO KNOW YOUR FRIEND

If you decide to get a mature dog, over six months old, do not go just on appearance. Before you take him home, see how he/she responds to your commands, accepts being touched.

WHERE TO GET A DOG FROM

First ask a vet for sources. An animal shelter is another source. We encourage you to adopt and not shop.

THE RIGHT VET?

Ask your friends with pets to recommend a vet. Visit the clinic to see the facilities offered and discuss your dog’s vaccination, diet, worming, and checkups.

www.dogsandpupsmagazine.com; www.facebook.com/Dogsandpupsmag




MALE OR FEMALE?
Young unneutered males can be difficult to manage.

Female dogs go “on heat” twice a year and this demands extra vigilance.

Ask a vet on temperament/neutering options of female/male dog.

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR PUPPY IS HEALTHY

Choose a puppy over eight weeks old. Lift the ear flaps to see if the ear is pink inside, with neither an unpleasant odour nor any sign of crusty or waxy discharge. Such deposits or discharges might indicate ear mites. Check that the ear flaps hang evenly. Slight head and ear shaking is normal in dogs, especially after waking up.

Hold the head still and check that the eyes are clear, bright, and free from any discharge. Stains around the facial hair might indicate discharge. Make sure there’s no sign of redness, squinting, or inflammation. A puppy which tries to scratch his eyes may have an infection.

To check the teeth and gums, gently part the lips. See that the gums and tongue are pink (or mottled with black pigment) and odour free. Gums should form a clean margin with the teeth. In most breeds (Boxer being an exception), the teeth should generally meet perfectly in a scissor bite.

Check for oily or flaky skin and make sure there are no lumps or abrasions. The hair should be firm and not come out when you stroke it (healthy fur glistens and only comes out when moulting). Run your hand against the grain of the coat to help you spot any skin defects or parasites.

The anal region under the tail should be clean and dry. There should be no inflammation, or sign of diarrhoea, dried faeces, or other discharge from genitals. Dragging the rear along the floor, or excess licking, can indicate an irritation caused by blocked anal glands.

E K Narayanan Nambiar (90) has not read ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’; nor is he the famous protagonist Florentino Ariza. But his life is more eventful than any fictional character. He and his first wife Sarada, with whom he was forced to part ways 72 years ago due to a socio-political turbulence, are also the characters of a historic-novel written by his niece Santha Kavumbayi.


And when they met, it was almost like a sequel to her novel, ‘December 30’, based on the Kavumbayi peasant uprising against feudalism in the district in 1946. “When I wrote the novel, I never had any inkling that they would meet again. They were separated within months of their marriage,” she said. When Nambiar married his distant relative, he was just 18 while she was 13. This happened when the struggle against British rule was at its peak and farmers were joining hands to fight feudal lords.

On December 29, Nambiar, accompanied by his father Thaliyan Raman Nambiar and hundreds of others gathered at the hill near the house of the local feudal landlord. Their plan was to avenge brutalities meted out to them. But before they could do anything, Malabar Special Police rained bullets on the mob, killing five. Nambiar and his father escaped unhurt. But police set their home afire and tortured the women to get a lead. Sarada was spared. The incident forced the family to send her back home. Police visited their home for nearly two months until they were held.

On February 11, 1950, Raman Nambiar was shot inside prison. The son, who was shot 16 times, survived. “Aunty had no idea that her husband had survived. She was compelled to marry another man. Uncle too married another woman after he was released,” said Kavumbayi. After she met Sarada’s son, they felt the two should meet because they still remembered each other fondly, she said. They met on December 26.


E K Narayanan Nambiar with his first wife Sarada