Saturday, October 1, 2011

LAST MINUTE TIPS TO SCORE WELL IN EXAM

No matter how much we try, the word exam always leaves us feeling worried, anxious and at times nervous leading poor performance exam. And when the exams are half a month away, it’s like a hurricane about to hit you. Just remember this it’s your exam and you have to go through it, so might as well do it with full confidence. Here are a few tips we thought could be helpful:

·         What are you thinking

You have studied for half a year or full year and then appearing for this exam. So know that you know the course and just have to perfect it. So, there is no space for bad dreams here.

·         Make a timetable
Yes, we know you have heard it many times, but it’s important. When you are left with just a day or two, don’t just gaze into your books. Make an elaborate timetable and stick it on your cupboard or wall. Keep going back to it and in no time you will be able to cover most of your portion.

·         Be an early bird
While studying late in the night might save you from the day’s noise, early morning is when the brain is at its receptive best. So start off with the tough portions and make the best use of this time.

·         Write key points to remember
Put down all that you have studied in your own words. Make small notes or snippets using this. Important dates, facts or other pointers can be recollected easily from these. This will help you in last minute revisions.

·         Choose the right place to study
Try not to study in your room all the time. Changing the place can add to your enthusiasm and encourage you to study more creatively. We recommend sitting in an airy environment, like terrace or garden and see all your stress go out of the window.

·         Eat well, sleep well
A sound mind and a sound body are most important during exams. Exercise can pump in more oxygen to your brain, improving concentration. Make sure to eat a healthy meal and keep your body hydrated.

·         Don’t leave your study time to the last minute
Last minute tips are great, but plan in advance. We are no robots who can mug up a year’s course in the last 15 days. The best way to score well is to work on a daily basis. This way, there is less to study during exam and more time to revise.

·         Your winning formula
We are sure you have your won winning formula for exams, do share it here for all your friends to know.


Friday, February 18, 2011

HOW TO OVER COME NEGATIVE THINKING / PESSIMISM :-

Our thoughts are the doorway of our emotions. “I'm completely stuck in this” - if such thoughts crop up in your mind quite often, it's time to give a serious thought to the things going wrong. A possible reason can be the responsibility of playing of several roles in life.
Many times we experience insomnia, mood swings, emotional turmoil and uneasiness while carrying out various duties in our lives. This can further make you passive on many fronts in life.
We then lose all our positive energy and become the storehouse of negative energy.
 Here are a few tips of regaining the lost positive energy in life:
Take Out Time for Yourself: Try and do a division of your heavy workload. Make a list of tasks which can be split into smaller chunks. If there are some tasks which you carry out regularly but at the back of your head you realise they aren't really important, give them up. Try and learn the art of time management. Make attempts to strike a balance between your personal professional and family life.
Bad Times would Eventually Go Away: Downbeat circumstances can become a cause of sorrow. But bear this in your mind that this time would eventually be over. Try and see if any benefits can be extracted from such harsh times. This would promote optimism in you.
Good Company: Try and avoid the company of people whose favourite pastime is exploring negativities in others. This can only aggravate your problem.
Think Positive: Don't let thoughts like: “I'm trapped”, “things are never going to change” etc. cloud your head. Easier said than done but you can at least give it a try.
At your Workplace: If you're finding it difficult to handle things in your office, do not hesitate in walking up to your boss and discussing things with him. These days many companies provide counselling to their employees.
Leisure Activities: Though clichéd but activities like watching movies, listening to music, gossiping, travelling can actually help you overcome negativities in your life.
Getaways: If you're stuck in the din and bustle of your city life, it's time to go for a nonchalant break. Plan getaways to hills, jungles, beaches et al (there's no point going to just another city for that would not help you escape from the usual uproar). You would feel rejuvenated and fresh. After coming back you will feel refreshing and more optimistic.
Eat Healthy: Eating healthy food is a key to not just remain physically fit but also to attain good mental health.
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MAGNETIC STIMULATION (rTMS) CAN CHANGE LIFE OF MENTALLY ILL.

TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION – EVOLUTIONARY NEW TREATMENT OPTION IN PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT, BRINGING HOPE IN LONG-TERM RESISTANT PSYCHOLOGICALLY ILL...
r-TMS a boon for mentally ill.
Repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (r-TMS), is upcoming method to deal with patients suffering from psychiatric problems, it has made evolution in the field of psychiatry. Limited treatment option in psychiatric treatment has presented with so many obstacles in treatment of chronically ill patients in psychiatry. Medications have always been gold standard of treatment with other psychological therapeutic measures. Conventional treatment modalities like Electro Shock therapy (ECT) though used extensively in developing countries like India is now being replaced by new modality called r-TMS world over. High Magnetic field created around brain can selectively stimulate or inhibit specific brain areas and can be used in treatment of neurological and psychiatric illness was first time reported in 1975. Extensive research in this field has come up with new hope for patient and family with psychological problems. r-TMS is being successfully used in western world for treatment of Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Schizophrenia, BAD Mania, Parkinson’s disease, and other Neuro-psychological problems. As compared to conventional methods like ECT, there is no need to give anaesthesia to patient, no need to induce seizure, and no side effect other than mild headache. R-TMS can be done on outpatient basis in a hospital with trained personnel and patient remain awake and sited in chair. Procedure last for around 30 to 40 minute.

ABOUT rTMS - One very promising avenue for influencing the living brain has emerged in the last decade, based on the use of pulsed magnetic fields. Machines are now available which can give up to 50 stimuli per second (rapid-rate TMS, or rTMS) and their effects are more interesting. Among a wide range of possibilities, it is proved that rTMS do have a place in the treatment of mental illnesses. It is a non-invasive technique, without help of medication, apparently free of serious side-effects, capable of modifying the activity of specific brain areas and treatment of psychiatric problems like Depression, OCD, Schizophrenia.
Approved for clinical use by the United States Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2008, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive treatment that uses a magnetic field to induce a weak current in the part of the brain responsible for depression. "TMS is an exciting development in the treatment of depression symptoms," says Dr. Richard Bermudes, founder of Sacramento TMS center USA.
"It's really life changing, especially for patients who haven't been helped by traditional antidepressant medications, which is typically about 50 percent of those we see." our patients already have seen dramatic improvement with just a few treatments," says Bermudes (2010). How it works
The magnetic fields used in TMS are produced by passing current through a hand-held coil, the coil is held on the scalp - no actual contact is necessary - and the magnetic field passes through the skull and into the brain. Small induced currents can then make brain areas below the coil more or less active, depending on the settings used.
In practice, TMS and rTMS are able to influence many brain functions, including movement, visual perception, memory, reaction time, speech and mood.
Safety issues

Generally, TMS appears to be free from harmful effects. Research continues, but TMS is certainly free of obvious side-effects like those of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), which still makes quite an impact on patients despite refinements in technique.
TMS / rTMS in the treatment of mental illness
Many mental illnesses can be demonstrated to stem from the abnormal behaviour of particular brain regions, in much the same way that diabetes is the result of malfunctioning cells in the pancreas.

It is believed that some mental disorders are the result of nerve cells being over- or under-excitable (in other words, it is too easy or too difficult for them to "fire" and work properly). In this context, successful psychiatric treatment is achieved by modifying these cells' behaviour. The range of effects produced by TMS are a clear indication of its potential to work in this way. - Dr Deshmukh. Of course, TMS could only be used to treat diseases whose functional causes are understood. Recent progress in understanding the mechanisms behind depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychosis (schizophrenia) and neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Huntington's, offers some hope in these areas. The prospect of replacing ECT with a near-painless treatment, which does not require anaesthesia, would change these people's lives remarkably.

rTMS is now available in INDIA. Recently (last three month) few rTMS centers have been started in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, & Pune ( Maharashtra).
Considering high cost of standard imported rTMS machines of 3 tesla (High strength) and less trained doctors working on this tequnology, Dr Deshmukh (Pune) completed successful training and study on use of rTMS in Psychiatry. Currently in Puna- rTMS is only available at -Department of Neurology, Navalmal Firodia Super-speciality Center, Joshi Hospital, Deccan, Pune, under supervision of Psychiatrist Dr Deshmukh.