What Constitutes a Healthy Person?

What Constitutes a Healthy Person? This chapter focuses on the features of a healthy physical constitution of a person, definitions of sleep, as well as key concepts associated with disease management such as etiopathogenesis, clinical presentation, prognosis, and management of atisthula. Some key etiological factors of atisthula include dietary lifestyle indicators (e.g., sedentary habit and high-calorie diet), and genetic and hereditary factors. This chapter also describes the pathogenesis of atisthula in detail, involving rasa (plasma) and meda (adipose tissue) as important dushyas (affected tissues). The significance of meda (adipose tissue) as the principal dushya has been recently confirmed in modern medicine where the central obesity and dyslipidemia are being considered as the main components of the basic matrix of this disease and its related disorders. [1,2,3] The recent concept of metabolic syndrome was already recognized in Ayurveda. Biomedical science points that overweight individuals experience greatly elevated morbidity and mortality from various ailments including cardiovascular diseases. 4,5 Obesity research is focused on preventive measures and management of complications like prediabetes, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmia/sudden death. [6] In the modern world, obesity has emerged as a serious health issue in both developed and developing nations and is recognized as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. In 2008 the WHO estimated that globally, at least 500 million adults (or approximately 1 in 10 adults) are obese, with higher rates among women than men. Obesity is the reason for about 80% of type 2 diabetes, about 70% of cardiovascular diseases, and 42% of breast and colon cancers today. In the past two decades, the number of overweight children and adolescents has doubled. [7] The rate of obesity also increases with age at least up to 50 or 60 years old. Once considered a problem specific to only high-income countries, obesity has acquired pandemic proportions and is affecting people globally [8,9] Most researchers agree that once it is established in the body, obesity mostly takes an incurable course and continues to develop many progressive complications a fact that was already acknowledged in Ayurveda. [10] Any course of treatment for obesity suggested by modern medical practitioners primarily includes dietary changes and physical exercise followed by anti-obesity drugs that help reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, various invasive and non-invasive surgical procedures could be prescribed such as partial gastrectomy, gastric bypass, banding, gastric balloons, etc.[11]   However, Ayurvedas approach to weight management is very different in that it does not recommend pills or surgeries for inducing drastic weight-loss. Instead, Ayurveda advocates dietary restrictions according to the Prakriti (predisposition or temperament of the patient), moderate exercise, practice of yogÄ sanas and pranayama, besides certain ayurvedic medications and b io-purificatory measures for its management [12] The etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features and consequences of extreme leanness (atikrisha), as an outcome of rasakshaya (decrease of rasa), medokshaya (decrease of meda) and mamsakshaya (decrease of mamsa) have also been described in this chapter. The two basic approaches for management of atikrisha and atisthula are augmentation (brimhana) and depletion (karshana) of body tissues respectively. Various drug and non-drug modalities have been suggested for the replenishment of dhatus and their nourishment to attain good health.   In this regard, Rasayana drugs of Ayurveda help balance hormones, promote essential nutrition and enhance immunity to atisthula and atikrisha respectively. As mentioned earlier, this chapter also emphasizes the role of good Nidra (sleep) in maintaining a healthy life. In fact, as per Ayurveda, after Ahara (diet), Nidra is one of the three sub-pillars of life (trayopastambha) and has a significant place in preventive medicine because normal sleep hel ps prevent diseases and unwholesome sleep may lead to fatal diseases. In Ayurveda, Nidra is considered a brimhana (nourishing) agent that promotes physical mental health and enhances immunity.

Youth Violence on the Possession of Firearms in School

Despite nationwide gun-free school laws that prohibit possession of a firearm on or near the property of a public or private school, students are bringing guns to school and using them against their fellow students and teachers with increasing frequency. What possesses these students to gun down their classmates? How are these students getting access to firearms? Who is ultimately responsible for these tragedies? What stresses contribute to these shootings? And how are parents and educators missing the warning signs that these children have reached the breaking point? Over the past few years, there have been an astronomical number of school shootings across the country, sending policy makers, parents, teachers, and other concerned citizens into a tailspin. These events are becoming more frequent and have shattered the sense of safety that children should have when they are in school. Shootings by students, some as young as 10, have occurred at sickeningly regular intervals in urban towns like Pearl, Mississippi, Jonesboro, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Tennessee and most recently Littleton, Colorado, where 12 students and 1 teacher lost their lives at the hand of two teen shooters who took their own lives. Firearm violence falls second only to automobile-related deaths, as the leading cause of injury-related death, in the United States. By the year 2003, firearm fatalities are projected to become the United States leading cause of injury-related death, unless the violence is curbed. In 1991, Texas and Louisiana saw firearm fatalities surpass automobile fatalities, and Virginia and Nevada also have continued this trend. In fact, the firearm death rate is increasing faster than any other cause of death except AIDS related fatalities. Recent public attention has focused on the problem of gun violence in the nation†s schools. A 1994 Gallup poll of Americans, for the first time, fighting, violence, and gangs have moved to the top of the list to tie with lack of discipline as the biggest problem facing schools. It is difficult to determine what effect the threat of violence has upon the learning of each student, but clearly education takes a back seat to one†s own sense of security and well being. According to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, one in 20 high school students carry a gun and one in five students would tell a teacher if he or she knew of another student carrying weapons to school. Theories differ about where young people get their guns. School security experts and law enforcement officials estimate that 80% of the firearms students bring to school come from home, while students estimate that 40% of their peers who bring guns to school buy them on the street. The United States has weaker firearm regulations and higher numbers of deaths involving firearms than all other industrialized nations. The greatest tragedy of gun violence is the tremendous numbers of children and youth killed or injured each year by firearms. These numbers continue to increase at alarming rates. According to Gunfree.Org, in 1985, the number of firearm homicides for youth 19 years and younger was 1,339, in 1995, it was 2, 574. In 1995, guns accounted for 84% of homicides of persons 13 to 19 years of age. Averages of 14 youth each day are killed by gunshots. A group studying juvenile violence in Multhomah County, Oregon identified the inadequate response of the juvenile justice system to students expelled for possessing weapons in schools, the need for additional efforts to detect weapons, and anti-violence education in schools as primary concerns. We must, as a society, recognize that there is a cycle of violence and that violence breeds more violence. There is no single answer to the problem of violence. A multi-faceted approach is needed. Prevention must be a priority. According to a ‘Public Health† Approach, recognition of three levels of prevention activities is essential: Primary prevention: These are interventions directed at people who have no obvious risk factors for development of violence. An example would be teaching grade school children to deal constructively with anger and conflict. Secondary prevention: These activities are directed to those who show clear-cut risk factors for violence. An example would be training in anger management for people who have a history of arguments or fighting. Tertiary prevention: These activities are directed toward minimizing the danger caused by those who have displayed violent behavior. Examples include interventions to allow gang-established patterns of serious or repeated violence. Any approach to violence must include education carried out in various ways and settings including collaboration among community groups, businesses, the schools, and government. Most of all, the parents must get involved. Schools offer the opportunity to reach a substantial percentage of the youth population and teach them skills aimed at the reduction of violence. Teachers are able to identify early on problem youth and families. Schools represent an important site to convey the message of society against weapons and violence. An important part of the anti-violence prevention strategy aimed at all youth is increasing the efforts to detect weapons in schools. While schools are already vigilant about responding to individuals when specific knowledge is available about weapons possession, this approach has not addressed concerns and perceptions that a number of weapons are present in schools undetected. Expanding the commitment to zero tolerance for weapons in schools would also better communicate to youth community standards, assuming that adequate consequences are in place. Most weapons are found through reporting by a concerned student. Such reporting should be praised.

New York v. Quarles Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact

In New York v. Quarles (1984), the Supreme Court created the public safety exception to the Miranda rule. Under Miranda v. Arizona, if an officer interrogates a suspect without notifying him of his Fifth Amendment rights, evidence gathered from that interrogation cannot be used in court. Under New York v. Quarles, however, an attorney may argue that evidence should be admissible because the officer acted in the interest of public safety when securing certain information from a suspect without issuing Miranda warnings. Fast Facts: New York v. Quarles Case Argued: January 18,1984Decision Issued: June 12, 1984Petitioner: The People of New YorkRespondent: Benjamin QuarlesKey Questions: Can evidence offered by a defendant prior to receiving his Miranda warnings be used in court if there is a public safety concern?Majority Decision: Justices Burger, White, Blackmun, Powell, and RehnquistDissenting: Justices OConnor, Marshall, Brennan, and StevensRuling: The Supreme Court ruled that, due to a public safety concern, Quarles statement regarding the location of his gun could be used against him in court even though he had not been read his Miranda rights at the time. Facts of the Case On September 11, 1980 officer Frank Kraft entered an AP supermarket while on patrol in Queens, New York. He identified a man, Benjamin Quarles, who matched the description of an assailant armed with a gun. Officer Kraft moved to detain Quarles, pursuing him through the aisles. During the chase, three officers arrived on the scene. Officer Kraft caught up to Quarles and handcuffed him. The officer noticed that Quarles had an empty gun holster on him. Officer Kraft asked where the gun was and Quarles directed the officer to a revolver stashed inside a carton. After securing the gun, Officer Kraft read Quarles his Miranda rights, formally placing him under arrest. Constitutional Issues Was Quarles’ statement about the location of the gun subject to the exclusionary rule under the Fifth Amendment? Can evidence offered by a defendant prior to receiving his Miranda warnings be used in court if there is a public safety concern? Arguments The petitioner argued that it was the officer’s obligation to find and secure the gun in the interest of public safety. The gun could have been within reach of Quarles, placing everyone in the supermarket at risk, the attorney argued. The exigent circumstances of a gun hidden in the supermarket overrode the immediate need for Miranda warnings, the attorney told the court. An attorney on behalf of Quarles argued that the officer should have notified Quarles of his Fifth Amendment rights as soon as he apprehended him. The attorney noted that the act of restraining Quarles and handcuffing him should have prompted the officer to read the Miranda warnings. Questions about the gun should have been asked after administering Miranda when Quarles was aware of his right to remain silent. The attorney called it a classic coercive situation. Majority Opinion Justice Rehnquist delivered the 5-4 opinion. The court found that Quarles statement, directing the officer to the gun, could be used as evidence. The decision in Miranda v. Arizona, according to the court, aimed to reduce police coercion of suspects in custody by advising them of their constitutional rights. When Officer Kraft apprehended Quarles, he reasonably believed that Quarles gun was loose in the supermarket. His question was prompted by a concern for public safety. The immediate need to find a potentially dangerous weapon outweighed the need to administer Miranda in that instant. Justice Rehnquist wrote: We think police officers can and will distinguish almost instinctively between questions necessary to secure their own safety or the safety of the public and questions designed solely to elicit testimonial evidence from a suspect. Dissenting Opinion Justice Thurgood Marshall was joined by Justice William J. Brennan and Justice John Paul Stevens. Justice Marshall argued that Quarles was surrounded by four officers, weapons drawn, when he was handcuffed. There was no immediate concern for public safety that overpowered the need to provide Miranda warnings. Justice Marshall argued that the Court would create chaos by allowing public safety to create an exception to the practices outlined in Miranda v. Arizona. According to the dissent, officers would use the exception to coerce defendants into making incriminating statements that would be admissible in court. Justice Marshall wrote: By finding on these facts justification for unconsented interrogation, the majority abandons the clear guidelines enunciated in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U. S. 436 (1966), and condemns the American judiciary to a new era of post hoc inquiry into the propriety of custodial interrogations. Impact The Supreme Court affirmed the presence of a public safety exception to Miranda warnings established under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The exception is still used in court to allow evidence that would otherwise be inadmissible under Miranda v. Arizona. However, courts do not agree on what constitutes a threat to public safety and whether that threat needs to be immediate or not. The exception has been used in situations where officers need to locate a deadly weapon or injured victim. Sources New York v. Quarles, 467 U.S. 649 (1984).Rydholm, Jane.  The Public Safety Exception to Miranda. Nolo, 1 Aug. 2014, www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/the-public-safety-exception-miranda.html.

Obesity Obesity And Obesity Essay - 1169 Words

Obesity Obesity refers to excess body fat while overweight refers to excess body weight in terms of excess fat, muscles, bone or water. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2009–2010), about 69% of the adult population in the U.S. is overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adults being obese. Consistent with the survey, at least 2 in 3 adults are overweight or obese and more than 1 in 3 adults are obese. In addition, more than 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. are said to have extreme obesity. The obesity and overweight ranges are calculated using body mass index (BMI). An overweight person has a BMI of 25 to 29.9 while an obese person has a BMI of 30 + (Flegal et al. 493). Obesity and overweight are linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and impairment in insulin secretion. Obesity induces insulin resistance and predisposes individuals to inflammation and metabolic complications. Consequently, insulin resistance occurs when more than normal amounts of insulin are needed for a normal biological response. With time, the pancreas gets exhausted and blood glucose levels increase leading to hyperglycemia, which has toxic effects on pancreas cells and impairs insulin receptors eventually leading to type 2 diabetes. According to research, about 13% of adults aged 20 and above have type 2 diabetes although 40% of them have not been diagnosed (Ogden et al. 483).Show MoreRelatedObesity : Obesity And Obesity986 Words   |  4 PagesObesity is one of the major health epidemics that human being struggle to deal with it. Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excessively high body f at in relation to lean body mass. In the last 20 years, people started complaining that fast food is the main cause of rising obesity. 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In recent years obesity is the health topic of choice these days because obesity in America is a growing epidemic. One out of twenty people in America have extreme obesity. According to a 2009-2010 survey conducted by the National Health and Nutrition examination this data states that about one third of children and adolescents ages six to nine are considered to be overweight or obese. Adolescent obesity has more than tripled in young adults and doubled in childrenRead MoreObesity : Obesity And The Obesity2209 Words   |  9 Pages OBESITY in America As the world is growing day by day the problem of obesity is also increasing all over the world. Since from1980 to 2014, the obesity has risen two times as compared to the previous years. The obesity is related to the how much energy is left, but the most important cause of having the obesity is â€Å"dysbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure† (Nazarii Kobyliak 1). The obesity is the excessive fat in the body and it can cause to any age group form child to the oldRead MoreObesity : Obesity And Obesity985 Words   |  4 Pages Obesity is one of the major health epidemic that human being struggle to deal with it. Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excessively high body fat in relation to lean body mass. In the last 20 years, people started complaining that fast food is the main cause of rising obesity. However, a lot of research proves that fast food is not the source of obesity. The rising obesity problem cannot be blamed on the fast food industry ; there are several other factors leads to obesity.