Pari Talks

  The Spring Fever P.K.Ghatak, MD No.53. We wait so impatiently to usher in the spring at the end of winter. Then we welcome Easter with a fanfare; followed by egg hunts, costume parades and lovely family dinners. Seasonal allergy sufferers hate the arrival of the spring because it is also the beginning of their period of misery of sneezing, coughing and not feeling well and unable to join the rest of the family with outdoor activities. The bursts of outdoor activities, festivities and entertaining is not only limited to humans but also by the plant and animal kingdoms. The plants initiate the process by a burst of colors, flowers and new leaves. Plants sense the arrival of the spring by judging the lengthening of the day and not by the thawing of snow due to increasing temperature. The role of eyes: Retina. The retinae of the eyes contain the light and color sensors; these are rods and cones respectively. They are connected to a layer of bipolar cells. The optic nerve originates f...

  Winter Blues. P.K.Ghatak, MD No. 52. Winter blue is one of these shades of blue colors. Winter blues is a temporary phase of depressive mood in the winter months. It is not a disease. It is a fairly common feeling in the winter, lasting only a short period of time and clearing spontaneously. Winter blues is more common in women and generally follows a specific event, stress of holidays or missing a loved one. This sad mood does not interfere with normal functioning of daily activities of the individual. Some experts think winter blues is an early phase of an illness known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Unlike winter SAD, some may feel SAD in summer months. The real cause of SAD is not known. It is linked with increased production of melatonin from the pineal gland in the brain, producing prolonged periods of sleep and an additional reason for decreased concentration of serotonin in the brain. Reduced serotonin produces decreased concentration ability and alertness. Winter ...

  Making a New Year Resolution: P.K.Ghatak, MD No.51. All Internet searches invariably use AI (artificial intelligence). The process is fast, and one can get an instant answer but whether the information so obtained, is biased or tainted that remains hidden. Not having a person standing behind providing information should be considered as subject to modification. With this preset condition, why people make New Year resolution searches yields interesting results. Making promises to their gods during a 12- day new year celebration started in Babylon 4,000 years ago. Romans adopted this practice. It has evolved into a self-motivated promise for a new start of self-improvement on this 1 st day of a cyclical maker of time. People in less advanced countries make a lot less New Year resolutions. English speaking and non-Catholics population are the highest percentage make resolutions. People living in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the USA are top of the list of all the countri...